Elara
by Fire Eyes
Summary: A mysterious young woman enters Jim Hawking's life after being attacked...but misunderstandings lead to heartache. Will they be able to get through the trial?
1. I

            "Gene, you should have known better than to rack up a lunch tab like that!  We're in debt enough as it is!" fifteen-year-old Jim Hawking berated his older partner as they walked home from the restaurant.

            Twenty-four-year-old Gene Starwind snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.  "So what?"  He stopped walking and bent over conspiratorially, continuing, "Eventually I'll make it big and pay everything off.  You'll see, Mister Doubtful."  He threw his head back, laughed, and resumed walking.

            "Mister Realistic is more like it.  How many times have you said that you'll make it big in the last few months?  You still haven't, you know."

            "Hey, I said I'll make it big and someday I will."

            Jim sighed.  "Sometimes there is just no getting through that thick skull of yours."

            Melfina chuckled.

            "Oh, so you think I'm funny too?  Humph.  I'll make it big and I'll keep the goods from both of you, so there."

            "You know you won't," the twenty-three-year-old dark-haired woman smiled, shaking her head.

            Gene's face softened.  "Of course.  I'd never keep anything from you, Mel," he said, looking at her with love in his eyes.

            She blushed.  He took her hand, and they began walking once again.  Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks.

            "What is it, Mel?" Gene asked.

            "I heard something…I think someone needs help."

            "Where?" Jim put in.

            "Not too far ahead…I think it's in one of those alleys on this side of the street."

            The three sprinted down the boulevard a few hundred feet, but were stopped short when they heard an agonized cry for help echo out of the alleyway not too far in front of them.  It was stifled, then silenced a second later.

            "Come on!" Gene motioned them forward, drawing his caster pistol.  They rushed into the alley to see two men in trench coats standing over a young girl tied to a chair and gagged.  One of the men held a full syringe in his hand.  The other grasped a pistol, but was holding it backwards, having used the butt of the gun to knock the girl out after her cry for help.

            "Hold it right there, you two," Gene said,  his expression grim as he pulled out his standard pistol from its holster on his right hip and pointed it at the second's head.  A shot sounded.  Glass shattered as a well-placed bullet broke the syringe into a million pieces, spraying the contents everywhere.  Jim relaxed his shooting arm and recocked his own pistol.

            The man who now held a broken syringe dropped the remains and held his hands up, weaponless.  His partner dropped his own gun and did the same.

            "We surrender," the first said.

            "Good idea," Gene answered.

            "Not!" the second leered as they both pounced on Gene and Jim as they bolted out of the alley.

            Both of them were knocked to the ground by the force of the two men as they made their escape.  Before they could react the two were on the street and out of sight.  Jim got up first, rubbing the back of his head.

            Melfina dashed to the girl's side and began untying the ropes that bound her to the chair.  The girl's eyes fluttered as Melfina untied the last knot.

            "I've…been…poisoned," she said weakly.  Her head fell forward as she lapsed back into unconsciousness.  Jim rushed forward and caught her as she fell from the chair.

            "What did she say?" Gene asked after standing up.

            "She said that she's been poisoned."

            "We better get her to a hospital, then!"

            "We can't, Gene—we don't have enough money for it, and who knows if she does," Jim said, indicating the girl in his arms with a motion of his head.

            "Let's take her back to the ship, then.  I can take care of her—I healed you, remember?" Melfina reminded Gene.

            "Good point, Mel.  Let's hurry, then."

            "Wait." Melfina knelt down and picked up a few pieces of paper.

            "What's that?" Gene asked.

            "The two men dropped these as they escaped."

            Gene took the papers and examined them for a moment.  His eyes widened.  "Whoa…these are their identification papers."

            "No way," Jim said incredulously.

            "Yes, way.  Now we can try to locate those goons after the girl gets better."

            "Speaking of, we better get to the _Outlaw Star_ fast.  Who knows what kind of poison they put in her!"

            They dashed out of the alley after Gene scooped the girl up in his arms, since he was taller and stronger than his younger partner.  The three ran as quickly as they could to their ship at its spacepad at the local spaceport.  Once they were inside, Melfina took the girl and went to a different part of the ship.  Gene and Jim waited in the cockpit, trying to work in the meantime.

            Half an hour later Melfina entered the cockpit.  Both guys stood up from where they were working.  "Well?" Jim asked.

            "She's now sleeping in Aisha's old cabin.  I think I got most of the poison out of her, and now am letting her immune system purify her the rest of the way."

            "Did you find out anything about her?" Gene asked.  _For Mel to heal her, she would have to open her mind, otherwise the process would not work right.  I think._

            She shook her head.  "She has some kind of wall in place around her mind, so I didn't get anything concrete.  But I did catch some feelings from her.  She seems to have once had many dreams for herself and someone else, but something happened to make those dreams impossible.  Also, a feeling of loneliness seemed to be present everywhere in the open parts of her mind.  …What really struck me, though, was the scarring from whatever just happened to her…it seems that she's now extremely wary, high-strung, and almost…scared."

            "I wonder what it was…  Did you find out how old she was?" Jim asked.

            "Yes.  She's about a year older than you are."

            "Dreams…I wonder what happened to squash them?" Gene wondered aloud.

            "I do too," Melfina agreed.

            Four hours later Gilliam, the ship's computer, notified the threesome that the girl had woken up.  Melfina walked over to the sleeping quarters of the ship and tentatively knocked on the girl's door.  "Who is it?" her voice came muffled through the metal wall.

            "It's Melfina," she replied.

            There was a short pause.  "Come in, then."

            The door slid open when Melfina touched the control panel, and she walked inside, shutting the door after her.  "How are you feeling?" she asked.

            "Better, thank you."  The girl scrutinized Melfina for a moment, then asked, "I hope you don't mind my prying, and you don't have to answer this question if you don't want to, but…are you an android?"

            She nodded.

            "I thought so.  Thank you for answering.  I have the feeling that you have a lot of questions to ask me, so go ahead."

            "Well, I was wondering what your name was, at least."

            "Elara."

            "Elara…?"

            "I'd rather not say my last name.  I…I hope you're not offended, but I don't really know you all that well, you know, and I don't know if you would exploit me or not."

            "I understand…I think."

            "Thank you.  If you don't mind my asking, who are the others with you?"

            "Gene Starwind is the older one, the redhead, and Jim Hawking is only a year younger than you are."

            "You were able to gather my age?"

            "That was one thing that you let leak through, I must admit."

            "I better work on that, then, although I don't think it is anything crucial."

            "Maybe that was why it got through."

            "Good point."

            "Might I ask what happened?"

            Elara took a deep breath and looked away from Melfina.  "May I leave out a few details in order to not reveal my identity?"

            "You don't even have to tell me, if you don't want to, Elara."  Melfina looked at the girl, her expression open and guileless.

            Elara – somewhat impulsively – decided that Melfina was one she could trust implicitly.  "I'll tell you.  I feel…I feel that you're safe.  Besides, I…I don't really have anyone to talk to, and this is one thing I don't want to carry on my own."  She took a deep breath, then blurted out in little more than a whisper, "I…I was raped."

            Melfina gasped.

            "Yeah, I know.  Awful, isn't it?"

            "That would explain…your feelings…"

            "You were able to read those, weren't you."  It was a statement, not a question.

            She nodded.

            "So, yeah.  They both did."

            "Both of them?"

            Elara nodded, her face set impassively in stone.

            Melfina sat down on the corner of the bed and took the girl's hand.  "I am so sorry, Elara."

            The gesture of kindness broke down the last of Elara's defenses, and she fell against the young woman's shoulder and sobbed.  Melfina stroked her head, silently allowing her to cry.  A few minutes later the tears subsided.  "I'm sorry," Elara said as she wiped away the last tear and sniffled.

            "Don't apologize.  You needed that."

            "Yeah, I guess I did.  Thanks."

            "Don't mention it."

            "You know, Melfina…I've never felt this secure around anyone except for my brother."

            "You have a brother?"

            "Had."

            "Oh…" she said as a hand went to her mouth.

            "Yeah.  He was killed when our ship was attacked by space pirates eight months ago."

            "You were on it too?"

            Elara nodded.  "He forced me to get into an escape pod and leave him there.  It was the hardest thing I've ever done."

            Right then the door slid open.  "Now, who exactly are you?" Gene demanded, his hands on his hips and a frown on his face.

            Elara's eyes widened.  She looked down, and without glancing up said, "Do whatever you want to me…I don't care.  Nothing matters anymore, anyway."

            Gene looked confused.  "Huh?"

            Melfina's eyes narrowed.  She stood up, ushered Gene out of the room and shut the door behind her.  "What did you think you were doing?" she demanded of him.  The steely expression appeared so alien on her usually soft face.

            Gene looked at her, surprised and bewildered.  "What do you mean?"

            "Don't you understand that she just went through a very traumatic time in her life?  Your bursting into the room probably startled her out of her wits, and the fact that you're a man…" she trailed off, not wanting to reveal what had happened to Elara.  _If they're to know, Elara should tell them herself._

            "What does that have to do with anything?" he exclaimed.

            Melfina looked down at the floor.  Gene tilted her chin up with his right hand and looked into her eyes.  "What happened?"

            "Well…I think she should be the one to tell you, but, since you asked…well, those two men that tried to poison her…well, they raped her."

            Gene's eyes opened wide as he gasped.  "Why those sick assholes…they did that, to her?  Both of them?"

            She nodded.  "I'm afraid so."

            His eyes retained their shocked expression.  "I really shouldn't have burst in there like that, right?"

            "Yeah."

            "I'll go in and apologize, then."

            "Wait, Gene," she said, restraining him with a hand on his shoulder.  "Let her recuperate first.  We can go in later, ok?"

            "All right."  The two of them walked off, changing the subject to the _Outlaw Star_'s repairs.

            Two hours later Jim asked Gilliam if Elara was awake.

            "No, she's not," the computer replied.  "Why do you ask?"

            "Well, Gilliam, we just had dinner, and I thought that she would like one of us to bring some up for her.  But, since she's asleep, I'll just drop off a tray in her room.  Do you think it will wake her up?"

            "She's sleeping soundly, so, if you're quiet, I doubt it."

            "Thanks."  Jim walked into the ship's galley, where Melfina was cleaning up.  "Where's Gene?"

            "He's touching up some repairs on the left arm.  I think he'll be done shortly."

            "Good."  He walked over to where the leftovers sat in dishes and scooped some rice and meat up onto a plate.

            "What are you doing, Jim?"

            "I thought that I would put some food in Elara's room, so that when she wakes up it'll be there ready for her."

            "Good idea."

            "Mel, are we going to go back to the shop tonight, or are we going to stay on the ship?"

            She gasped.  "I don't know…I didn't think about that."

            "I mean…we can't exactly move her, can we?"

            "No.  I'll stay here tonight, then.  You and Gene can go back to the shop to sleep."

            "What?  Leave you here all alone?"

            "What's this about leaving someone here all alone?" Gene asked as he walked into the galley.

            "Jim and I were talking about where we're going to stay tonight: here or back at the shop.  We can't move Elara, you know."

            "I never thought of that.  We'll stay here, of course.  We'll all just take our usual rooms.  No big deal."

            "That's nice of you, Gene.  How are the repairs coming?" Jim asked.

            "The left arm looks good.  I'm going to go to the cockpit to test it.  Mel, do you want to help me?"

            "Sure."  The two walked off deep in discussion.  Jim picked up the loaded tray and walked toward Elara's room.  He tried to slide the door open as quietly as he possibly could, then tiptoed over to the side of her bed as the door slowly slid shut.  She was lying on her side, facing away from him.  Jim set the tray down on the nightstand and began to tiptoe back out when he heard a sniffle.  He glanced back at the girl's sleeping form to see her sides shaking slightly.  Concerned, he moved over toward her, and ever so slowly reached out to pat her on the shoulder in a comforting way.  As soon as he made contact, she flinched violently away from his touch.

            He backed away a few paces.

            "I'm sorry," she said.  "I didn't mean to."  Elara rolled over and sat up to face the young man.  He saw her shed tears shining on her cheeks in the faint light from the hallway.  He also noted that she kept the sheets held tightly around her, as if to protect herself.

            Jim took a deep breath.  "What's wrong?"

            She glanced away from him.  _Can I trust him?  Now that my entire family is dead and gone, there is no one I can turn to.  It would be nice to have an actual friend after all of this time… Gah, what am I thinking?  But he looks so… so… gentle…_

            "You don't have to answer me if you don't want to," he said, moving toward the door.

            "No—wait," she said.  He stopped moving and glanced back at her.  "I'll tell you.  Just don't be so defensive, okay?"

            "Okay," he replied with a slightly sheepish look.

            "It's a long story.  Do you have to do anything anytime soon?"

            "No."

            "Will you promise me something?  Promise me that you won't exploit me or anything after I tell you who I am."

            "Why would I do that?"

            "You'll know when I tell you my full name.  It's…Elara Alcyone."

            Jim's eyes opened wide in shock as he gasped.  "You're Elara Alcyone?  The president of Alcyone Enterprises?"

            "One and the same."

            "Wow…so, how did you end up getting poisoned by those two damn goons if you're so powerful?"

            "Like I said, it's a long story.  About a week ago I was en route to this planet for a board meeting with my company's local branch when pirates attacked my ship.  I'm glad I took my personal ship, because it's a grappler ship."

            "So is the _Outlaw Star_," Jim interrupted.

            Elara glanced around the cabin.  "Are we on the ship right now?"

            "Yeah.  Go on."  He sat down on the corner of the bed and waited for her to begin.

            "Oh, sorry.  Anyway, I was able to get away and land safely, but my ship was damaged enough that repairs would take about three and a half to four weeks.  I went to my board meeting, which took up most of the day after I landed—which was about five days ago, I think.  I decided that, since I haven't had any sort of vacation in about a year, I would stay here and sightsee for part of the time, and work from here the rest.  I was having a quiet dinner the day before yesterday in a beautiful park not too far from here, watching a glorious sunset, when those two dorks showed up and kidnapped me.

            "When they grabbed me, they knocked me out, so I couldn't resist them.  They took me to a scrubby, rundown hotel somewhere downtown and…when I woke up…they…" she trailed off, unable to continue.

            "What did they do?"

            Tears welled up in her eyes.  "Raped me."

            "What?!?"

            "Yes…they both did."

            "Why?"

            "Well, since they thought they were going to be able to kill me, they told me their whole plan afterwards…since they gave me the first dose of poison immediately," she told him as she blinked her tears away.

            "What?  Why would they want to kill you?"

            Elara took a deep breath.  "The vice president of my company, Ivan Stinson, was going to become the president of the company after my brother died, and I would simply be left with the ownership of it."

            "You had a brother?  He died?  How?  And why would he become president?"

            She glanced at him with one eyebrow raised.  "Quite the listener, aren't you?"

            Jim looked away sheepishly.  "Sorry about all the questions.  If you don't feel like answering them, I'll understand."

            "You're the rather inquisitive type, aren't you?"

            He nodded.

            "Well, I honestly don't mind.  It's funny," she said after a pause, glancing up at the ceiling.  "I've never talked like this to anyone besides my brother, and ever since he died I've been a closed-up ball of emotion…"

            "I have one more question for you…why are you willing to tell me all this, then?"

            Elara looked directly at him.  "I'm not sure.  You just have an…open, trusting look about you.  I feel…safe…and I haven't felt that way in months."

            His cheeks turned slightly pink, and he had to turn away from her gaze.  "So…where were we?"

            "Oh, yeah.  Well, eight months ago my brother, Nathan, and I were returning to Inura, the planet where my company's headquarters is located, when space pirates attacked our ship.  They were able to damage our engines to the point where we had no escape.  As they boarded my brother forced me into an escape pod so that I could get away.  As the pod left the ship I saw my brother, through the window, gunned down by two pirates who had followed us.

            "I landed safely and headed immediately to headquarters.  There I let the staff know what happened, and my brother's secretary handed me a slip of paper.  It was a note that he had left—instructions for me.  He said that in his will he left the company and the presidency of it to me."

            "If you don't mind my asking, why to someone as young as you?  You were fifteen then, right?"

            She nodded.  "For some reason I am rather adept at business management, and aided my brother a lot in the office before he…died.  Stinson didn't like the note, but kept his anger hidden, since I had usurped his supposedly guaranteed position.  It wouldn't surprise me if he had been the one to send the pirates after us, but that's just a theory of mine.  Anyway, I took over the company, and ran it almost as well as my brother had.  My staff, to say the least, was quite impressed with me.  All except for Stinson.  If I had thought things through, I would have fired him as soon as I took over.  I guess I was too unsure of my position to do anything that drastic back then or something.

            "Anyway, those two thugs who kidnapped me told me that they had been hired by Stinson to kill me.  I knew they were drunk because I had smelled the liquor on their breath when…yeah.  They were told to poison me if they decided to…play…with me, to make it look like I died from shock.  Then they would leave me in the street for someone to find me, and everyone would assume that some bum had randomly raped me.  The only catch was that the poison took two doses to work. One dose immediately afterward, and the other twelve hours later.  You found me right before they were going to give me the second dose."

            Jim sat there in stunned silence for a moment.  "Elara, I am so sorry," he said when he could find his voice.  "Melfina said that when she healed you, you had some sort of wall around your mind.  Is Stinson the cause of that?"

            The young woman sighed.  "Yeah.  The death of my parents, and then my brother, really hit me hard.  I am only sixteen, and a lot has happened in those few years.  I feel like I should be forty or something."

            "You certainly look sixteen."

            Elara chuckled.  "Thanks.  You know, I haven't talked to anyone my age ever since before Nathan died."

            "Really?  You mean you don't really have any friends?"

            "Not anymore.  I just don't have time, what with the company and all."

            "You know, I haven't talked to anyone my own age in a while, either.  I mean, I have Gene and Mel, but…"

            "It's not the same.  I know—trust me, I know."

            "Besides, Gene isn't always the most responsible guy in the world.  I tend to end up with all the nitty-gritty work around here, like bills and paperwork and stuff."

            "You too?  I hate being stuck with that kind of thing!"

            "Ditto.  Hey, why don't you eat something?"

            Elara glanced over at the tray of food.  "Now that you mention it, I am rather hungry."

            Jim glanced up at the ceiling.  "Gilliam, you better get your sensors checked.  Elara wasn't sleeping."

            "Well, then, isn't one entitled to one mistake?" the computer replied, offended.

            "Who are you talking to?" she asked around a mouthful of bread.

            "Oh, the ship's computer.  Its name is Gilliam."

            "Hey, Gilliam," she said.

            "Greetings, Elara," it replied.

            "You know, it's kind of strange, talking to a computer who is so formal."

            "Well, pardon me for being the way I am."

            She chuckled.  "Your ship's computer has quite an attitude, Jim."

            "Yeah, but it's pretty helpful, especially when I'm stuck with paperwork or if we're in flight."  Jim yawned.

            "You should go to bed.  Don't stay up on account of me," Elara said.

            "But I still have so much work to do."

            "Oh, for crying out loud, go to sleep and do it in the morning."

            Jim laughed.  "Yes, ma'am."

            "That's a good boy," she returned, smiling.

            Jim left the cabin and shut the door behind him with a cheerful expression.  As he walked to his own cabin he passed Gene in the hall.  "Hey, what's the smile for?" he asked.

            "Oh, no reason," he replied as he kept walking.  A moment later he arrived at his cabin and walked inside.

            Gene remained in the hall, standing and looking at Jim's door as he scratched his head in puzzlement.  "Now what was that all about?"  He shrugged and resumed walking.  "Gilliam?"

            "Yes, Gene?"

            "Do you know why Jim was so perky all of a sudden?"

            "Well, I don't know if I would say perky, but he did seem happier than normal."

            "Cut the cheek, Gilliam.  Seriously, do you know why?"

            "Well, he was in Elara's room talking for a while—"

            "He was in _her_ room?  What for?"

            "I believe he brought her a tray of food, and they ended up talking for a while—and insulting me a bit, I might add."

            "That's odd," Gene said, stroking his chin and furrowing his forehead.

            "I know.  I don't know why they would insult a computer."

            "Gilliam, I wasn't saying _that_ was odd."

            "Well, how rude."

            Lost in his thoughts, Gene did not reply and headed over to his own cabin to sleep on what he had just discovered.

* * *

            Jim woke up early the next morning, as was usual, and walked over to the galley to find Melfina making coffee.  "Good morning, Jim.  Did you sleep well?"

            "Yes, thanks," Jim replied as he grabbed a mug.  Melfina poured him a freshly brewed cup and he sipped at it gratefully.  "Have you checked on Elara yet?"

            "Gilliam said that she was asleep, and he triple checked it to make sure.  Why did he do that?"

            Jim chuckled.  "Because I gave him a hard time last night about being wrong."

            "What?"

            "Oh, when I brought the food up to her last night, he told me that she was asleep.  When I walked in to put the tray on the nightstand, she was crying softly, so I knew that she wasn't asleep."

            "She was crying?"

            "Yeah."  He proceeded to relate the entire story to Melfina.

            "Oh, wow.  I had no idea it was that bad."

            "Yeah."

            "Elara just woke up," Gilliam broke in.

            "Thanks," Jim replied.  "Mel, will you take up a cup for her?  I'll bet she's a coffee drinker if she's the president of a company."

            She laughed.  "You're probably right, Jim."

            "I'm going to go get a head start on some work."

            "I'll bring you breakfast, then.  Or at least another cup of coffee."

            "Thanks, Mel."

            Jim left the galley as Melfina poured another mug and placed it on a tray along with a breakfast roll, just in case Elara was hungry.  She picked up the tray and walked over to her room, where she knocked on the door.  "Come in," Elara called out.

            Melfina opened the door and was surprised to see Elara up and rummaging through the drawers in the small dresser.  "What are you looking for?"

            "Oh, I felt like a snoop, but I kind of need some whole clothes."

            She looked her over and noticed that a badly ripped shirt and torn shorts barely covered up the girl.  "I can get you some of mine, if you want me to."

            Elara glanced over at her.  "If you could, that would be great."  Reaching into a drawer, she pulled out an article of clothing.  "Before you leave, though, I would greatly appreciate it if you told me who wore this.  I've never come across this style before."

            Melfina laughed.  "That's because it belongs to a Ctarl-Ctarl."

            "What?"

            "I'll explain later, or you can ask Jim to explain.  I'll go get you some clothes."

            She returned a few minutes later with a new blouse and shorts.  Elara changed quickly.  "Ah, now I feel much better—like I'm whole again."

            "I'm going to go down to the galley to make breakfast.  Do you feel up to coming down later?"

            "Mel, I don't know what you did for me, but I feel wonderful.  Thanks for everything," she said gratefully.  "Can I at least help you with the meal?  I want to feel like I've done something for you, you know, as a tiny bit of repayment."

            "Elara, don't worry about it.  I was happy to help," Melfina said, blushing slightly.  "But yes, of course you can help.  Did Jim mention that Gene isn't always the most responsible guy around?" she asked, changing the subject.

            "Yes…"

            "Goes for meals as well."

            "I see," she said, smiling.  The two young women walked down to the galley to prepare the meal.  Twenty minutes later they had made a spread of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and another pot of coffee.

            "You're a wonderful cook, Mel," Elara said after they had set the food on the table.

            "You're not so bad yourself," she replied.  "Watch—now that food is out, Gene will come stumbling in here in whatever he wore to bed."

            "The smell of food wake him up?"

            "Of course."

            Elara laughed.  "Where's Jim?"

            "He's in the room at the end of the hallway with all of the cabins working on the bills and paperwork and such.  Do you want to bring him some breakfast and another cup of coffee?"

            "Sure."  Elara loaded the items onto a tray and took it to where Jim was working away on his laptop.  He looked up at her in surprise when she entered.  "Elara?  What are you doing up?"

            "Helping Mel with breakfast," she told him nonchalantly.  "What are you working on?" she asked as she set the tray down on the table and walked over to stand behind him.

            "Calculating repair expenses, food expenses, and rent expenses, and seeing how much we are in debt, and how much more we need to borrow in order to pay these expenses.  They just keep piling up and up."

            "Why is it taking you so long?"

            "I have to figure in interest and cost, and inventory everything.  That's actually what takes me the longest."

            "What program are you using?"

            "Uh…Business Deluxe software, I think."

            "Here, let me try something."  Jim stood up and let Elara sit down.  She brought up a window that he had never seen before and typed something in.  Another window came up, with a detailed list of a previous inventory.  She highlighted the items and copied them over to Jim's current window—the one he had been working on when she arrived.  Then she looked up current costs and did the same thing, then typed in a command.

            Jim's eyes opened wide in surprise when a perfectly detailed list popped up on his window, with everything matched correctly: item, cost, amount, and location.  "How…how did you do that?"

            Elara laughed.  "I used my shortcut."

            "What?"

            She pointed to the lower right-hand corner of the screen.  There he saw text that read "Copyright Alcyone Enterprises."  "I made this program myself two years ago," she said.  "I made up the shortcut, and I'm the only one who knows that it exists.  Here, let me show you how to do it."

            Melfina walked into the room thirty minutes later to find Jim seated at the computer with Elara leaning over his shoulder, showing him different shortcut techniques that she had placed within the program to make things even easier to inventory and organize.  She smiled to herself.  _They both need a friend so badly—Jim one his own age, and Elara one who will see her for who she is and not as a company leader.  I hope this works for both of them._

Elara looked up from the screen.  "Did Gene come like you said he would?"

"He sure did."  She walked over to stand behind them.  "What are you two working on?"

"What I usually work on," Jim said without looking up from the screen, his fingers flying over the keys.

"I'm going to go clean up breakfast, then Gene and I are heading back to the warehouse.  Will you meet us there for lunch?"

"Sure."

Melfina left the room.

Jim glanced over at Elara.  "So…what are your plans now?"

"Plans?"

"Yeah…well, now that you're feeling better and all, won't you want to get back to your ship and wait for it to get repaired and such?"

She looked startled.  "I…I guess I haven't really thought about it much…"

"If you'd like, I'm sure it would be okay if you stayed with us until your ship was repaired.  How long will that be, anyway?"

"I think about another two weeks or so."

"That long?  Sheesh!  How much damage did that other ship cause?"

"A lot."

"Gosh, it must have.  Hey, as soon as we finish up here, why don't I take you to our warehouse and show you where we really live."

            "Sounds good, Jim."

            He turned back to the screen and began typing again, with Elara still leaning over his shoulder.

            That night the nightmares began.  Elara tossed and turned as she relived the horrible night in that rundown hotel.  At the point in the memory-dream where the men began stripping her, she shrieked aloud in terror.

            Her cry woke Jim, whose cabin was next door.  He dashed over to her room and rushed inside to see what was the matter.  "Elara?  Are you all right?" he whispered loudly.

            She continued to toss and turn without responding to his words.  _She must be asleep—I guess she's having a nightmare.  What should I do?  Should I wake her up?_  Deciding to end her bad dream, Jim reached out and gently shook her shoulders.  "Elara!  Wake up!  You're having a nightmare!"

            Rather than waking up, Elara struggled against his grasp.  "No…stop…please… don't…" she moaned as she tried to get away from him.  Resolutely Jim held on to her shoulders in the hopes that eventually she would awaken.  Suddenly the teenager stiffened, and her eyes blinked open.

            Glancing up, Elara stared at Jim wide-eyed in fear.  A single tear cascaded down her cheek as she held the bed sheet over herself.  Like a cornered mouse she slid back from him until she hit the wall.  As soon as she felt the cold metal on her back, she gasped in fright.  "Stay away…" she demanded weakly.

            Surprised at her actions, he reached out a hand to her.  He thought it would be a good thing to do, but he could not have been more wrong.  Before he had even made contact she jerked herself as far away as she could from his touch, though the wall behind her made the distance increase a mere few inches.

            _She's afraid of me, isn't she?  Her nightmare must have been caused by what those cursed men did to her!  Or was the nightmare not a dream, but a memory?_  He winced at the thought of her reliving that wretched night over and over again.  "Elara—it's me, Jim.  I won't hurt you," he told her, withdrawing his hand and moving back away from the bed.

            The girl stared at him as if seeing him for the first time.  "J-Jim?" she stuttered.

            "Yes.  I'll never hurt you, Elara," he stated honestly, taking a cautious move back toward the bed.

            His simple reply brought fresh moisture to her eyes.  "Really?" she asked in a timid voice.

            He nodded in reply as he sat down on the edge of her bed.  "Really."  For the first time he noticed the state she was in.  Elara was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and breathing rapidly, her face pale and drawn.  

            The sixteen-year-old startled him by collapsing into his arms and sobbing.  He could not utter a word for a moment.  Her heart was pounding so quickly that Jim could feel it through the light material of her nightshirt.  Gently he cradled her and allowed the tears to fall without saying a word.  A few minutes later she had calmed down enough to fall back asleep.  Carefully he laid her back down on her bed and pulled the sheets back over her.

            Before closing the door behind him, Jim took one last look in at her peacefully sleeping form.  Startled by the emotions the image spawned in him, he turned away with a jerk and shut the door without a backward glance.


	2. II

            The next morning Elara apparently had no memory of the night's events—or so it seemed to Jim.  But that afternoon, while she was helping him out with some busywork, she said shyly, "Thanks for the rescue last night, Jim."

            He glanced at her with an embarrassed expression.  "Sure," he replied.

            Elara noted that she had unsettled him and quickly changed the subject.

            The following two days went by in a blur for the young president.  Melfina, Gene, and Jim went about their usual daily tasks, and Elara helped wherever she was needed.  This came as a surprise to Gene, for he had figured she would have been a snob as a result of her high position in society.  

            That evening, at about five o'clock, Elara walked into the kitchen where Melfina was just getting out food to make dinner with.  "Mel, would it be all right if I took you three out to dinner tonight?"

            She looked up at the girl from her kneeling position next to the refrigerator.  "Have you ever heard Gene say no to food?" she replied with a smile.

            "Good point.  If that's the case, then allow me to take you there as well."

            "Where would we be going?"

            Elara told her.  "But…but isn't that the most expensive restaurant in the city?"

            "Hey, money is no object for me.  Look at it as a minor repayment for all that you have done for me over the past few days.  I'll go tell Gene and Jim."

            Melfina watched her leave, smiling softly.  "I'm glad you've opened up so much, Elara," she said aloud to herself.  "If I had to heal you again, I do believe that a lot of the dark feelings you had floating around in your mind would at least be subdued somewhat.  I hope you'll stay for a while."  She sighed and began to put the food she had taken out back where it belonged.

            Elara walked up the stairs to find Gene lying on his back on a bench, hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling.  "Is something bothering you?" she asked, leaning back against the wall and waiting for an answer.

            He moved his head to look over at her, but otherwise remained motionless.  "I don't know.  Sometimes I wonder…ah, nevermind."

            "Wonder what, Gene?"

            He sighed and closed his eyes.  "Don't you ever wonder if you did something different when something happened in your past, if things would be different now?"

            "Yes, I do."

            Gene opened his eyes and sat up to face her.  "Like what?"

            It was Elara's turn to sigh.  She closed her eyes and said, "Like when my brother was killed by space pirates."

            "Your brother was killed by space pirates?  When?"

            "About eight months ago."

            There was silence for a moment.  Gene leaned back down and closed his eyes.  "My father was killed by space pirates when I was just a kid."

            Elara glanced over at him.  "How did it happen?"

            He looked up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head.  "We were being attacked when all of a sudden we heard a _thud_ and were boarded by them.  They came dashing through the ship and my father hustled me to an escape pod.  He made me escape, then, a few minutes later, I saw the ship explode.  Ever since then I've had an irrational fear of space.  Only in the _Outlaw Star_ do I really feel secure while in space."

            "Gene, that sounds way too much like what happened to me.  We also were boarded, and my brother also hustled me to an escape pod.  The only difference was that as my escape pod took off, I saw him…shot to death by two different pirates with machine guns."

            Gene slowly sat up and stood to walk over to stand next to her.  He leaned back against the wall and asked, "How old was your brother?"

            "Twenty-six.  Even though he was so much older than me, he still treated me as if there were only two or three years between us instead of eleven."

            "You're sixteen now, right?"

            "Yeah.  My birthday was about five months ago."

            "Wow.  How do you manage to handle an entire company at such a young age?"

            "I honestly don't know.  As my uncle says, it must run in my family's blood."

            He walked over to stand by the window and looked out at the street.  "Elara…what did you come up here for, anyway?"

            "Oh, it was to tell you that I'm taking the three of you out to dinner tonight."

            He glanced over at her quizzically.  "You're taking us?"

            "Of course.  It's all on me."

            "Where are we going?"  Gene's eyes lit up in anticipation.

            She looked at him with a sly grin.  "You'll find out when we get there."  Without another glance she walked down the hall toward the room where Jim was working, leaving a quizzical Gene behind.  "What the hell was that all about?" he said aloud to himself, scratching his head, forehead furrowed in puzzlement.  He shrugged.  "Like she said, I'll find out when we get there.  Hope it's got good food."

            Elara walked up to the closed door and knocked twice.  "Who is it?" Jim called out from his desk.

            "It's Elara," she replied.

            "Come in."

            She opened the door and walked inside, closing it behind her.  "Almost finished?"

            "Yeah."

            Elara walked over to stand behind Jim's chair.  "What do you think of the idea of me taking the three of you out to dinner tonight?"

            He looked up at her with a surprised expression on his face.  "Sounds good to me.  But you don't have to."

            Her laugh was tinged with silver.  "So?  I want to.  Besides, I'm sure you'll like where we're going."

            "So…where are we going?"

            "Oh, no.  You get to stay in the dark just like Gene does."         

            "Elara…" he said imploringly.

            She crossed her arms and shook her head.  "Uh-uh.  It's a surprise."  Elara turned and headed out the door, leaving Jim behind shaking his head.  _I wonder what she's up to now…I hope she doesn't see this as a repayment of any sort._  He shrugged and returned to finishing up his work for the day.

            About thirty minutes later a limousine arrived at the warehouse.  Melfina walked down the stairs just as it pulled up.  

            "I like the outfit, Mel," Elara complimented her.

            Melfina was wearing a wine-colored sleeveless dress complete with matching shawl.  The dress came down to a few inches above her knees, outlining her slender figure.

            "You look nice too, Elara," she replied, smiling.

            Elara was wearing a lavender gown, also sleeveless, that fell down to her ankles and swished as she walked.  A scarf worn about her elbows was her dress's accent, and gold earrings and matching necklace completed the outfit.

            "Why, thanks, Mel.  Are you guys ready?" Elara called up the stairs to them.

            "Yes," Gene replied with a grumbling tone as he walked down the stairs fussing with his tie.  "Why do I have to wear this stupid thing, anyway?" he complained with an annoyed jerk on the fabric.

            "Gene, come on—it's just for the evening.  I know you can handle this for a few hours, considering what you've faced in the past," Melfina said.

            "Yeah, well, at least I was comfortable then."

            Elara chuckled.  "Is Jim coming down anytime soon?"

            "I'm here, I'm here," he said as he came down the stairs, his tone the same as Gene's had been a moment earlier.

            She looked over at Melfina.  "What is up with these two?  You'd think they never cared about what they wore or how they looked."  Elara frowned and appraised the two.  "Then again, maybe that _is_ the case.  Have they ever worn anything nice before?" she asked the other woman.

            Melfina smiled.  "Not for a while, at least.  Notice how old and starchy their clothes look?"

            "Uh huh."

            Gene's look was pained.  "Can we _please_ get on with this?  I want to get out of these clothes as soon as possible."

            "Me too," Jim agreed.

            "These two are impossible," Elara groaned.

            "I know," Melfina concurred.

            "Well, come on, then.  However, I believe you will forget about your clothing once we get to the restaurant," she told them, a secretive expression on her face.

            Elara led them out the door to the limousine, where she came in last after issuing instructions to the driver.  Then they rode through the streets of the planet's capital in high style—each enjoying every minute of it.

            "Wow—I've never been in something this nice," Gene said as he felt the velvet seats and looked around the spacious seating compartment.

            "It is fairly nice, isn't it?" Elara replied.

            "Well, since you're used to it, you must excuse those who are not so fortunate," he told her with a twinkle in his eye that betrayed the fact that he was teasing her.

            She sniffed at him, yet her eyes also sparkled.  "Mister, keep in mind that _I_ am the one paying for your meal tonight."

            "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he waved her off.

            "Fine—you starve," she proclaimed, sticking her nose up in the air and crossing her arms.

            Jim started laughing at the devastated expression on Gene's face, who also began to laugh.  Soon the two young women joined in, and they laughed the rest of the way to the restaurant.

            After the driver had walked around, opened the door for the foursome, and let them out, Gene and Jim froze on the sidewalk, stunned.  "You're taking us here?" Jim asked in a small voice, staring at the sign that read "The Jaded Garden" above the elegant marble steps leading up to the deep red double doors.

            "Of course."

            "But…but…it's the most expensive place on the planet!" he whispered in awe.

            "So?  Come on, you two.  Gene, close your mouth.  It's unbecoming for a patron of this place to walk around with their mouth hanging open."

            Blinking, he did as he was told.

            "Now do you two see why you needed to dress up?" Melfina asked them pointedly.

            They nodded mutely in unison.  Then Melfina took Gene's arm and Elara took Jim's.  He glanced over at her with a startled expression.

            "This is the proper way for a group of our type to enter this restaurant," she pointed out to him.

            "Oh," he answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

            They walked up the steps arm in arm and through the doors that were opened for them by the doormen.  Inside the place looked like a palace.  Bright, elegant, golden chandeliers hung down from the extremely high ceiling, infusing the huge room with a pleasant glow.  The floor was carpeted in a rich red color, adding warmth to the atmosphere.  

            Elara walked up to the registration podium with a slightly haughty air.

            "Do you have a reservation, miss?" the suited man behind it asked her pleasantly.

            "I believe you have one under 'Alcyone,' do you not?"

            The man's eyes widened slightly.  "Of course we do, Miss Alcyone!  Right this way," he told them, leading them through the main hall past all the other tables into a small room off to the side.  "Your usual room, ma'am."  He then proceeded to seat each of them around a medium-sized round table set elegantly with the most sophisticated silverware, wine glasses, and lit candelabra.  Each place also had set before it a menu, allowing guests to peruse the available dishes as soon as they had been seated.

            "Thank you, kind sir," she said, placing a folded bill in his gloved palm.  "Tell the manager the room is excellent."

            He glanced at it and his eyes widened.  "No, thank you," he answered, bowing.  "I will convey your message."  He then left the room.

            "What did you give him?" Jim asked, noting his reaction.

            "Oh, a small token of my appreciation, that's all.  Nothing to worry about.  Now figure out what you want, and please forget that the prices are even listed.  I don't care if you order the most expensive thing on the menu.  Just pick out what you want."

            When each had opened their menus, all but Elara's eyes opened wide at the expense of even the cheapest dish available.  "Elara…this is asking too much," Melfina said after glancing at it for a moment.

            She looked over at her.  "No, it's not.  Please, don't think about the prices.  I want you three to get what you want, not what you think is in my price range."

            "Man, there is so much on here!" Gene said after a moment.  "How will I pick?"

            Elara chuckled.  "That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself, Gene.  I personally find it easier if I first figure out what type of food I'm going to have—such as seafood or steak or chicken."

            "That still leaves a lot of choices," he reminded her.

            "I know.  But we have time."

            Five minutes later an older man entered the room.

            "Edward!" Elara exclaimed, standing up and walking over to embrace him.  "You look well.  How have you been?"

            "Wonderful, Miss Alcyone," he said, smiling.

            "Oh, stop that.  You know full well that I want you to call me Elara."

            "Whatever you say, Miss Alcyone," he said, his face straight.

            She laughed.  "Oh, it's great to see you again."

            "You're not looking bad yourself, Elara," Edward replied, allowing a smile to grow on his face.  He glanced over at her table and asked, "Who are your friends?"

            "This is Gene Starwind, Jim Hawking, and Melfina," she said, indicating each as she introduced them.

            "How do you do?" Melfina greeted him.

            Both Gene and Jim simply nodded, unsure of what else to do.

            The two moved off over to one side and talked for a few minutes, during which the other three sat uncomfortably, and eventually they began chatting idly about the menu in order to cover up the feeling.

            A few minutes later a tall, sandy-haired teenager walked in.  "Hello, Elara," he greeted her.

            She grinned at him and gave him a hug.  "Hello yourself, Skye.  You're looking good.  Have you been working out or something?  The last time I saw you, you were a beanpole."

            He laughed.  "I took up playing basketball.  I guess it filled me out somewhat, eh?"

            "I'll say," she complimented him.

            "What brings you to Centennial III?"

            "Board meeting.  I'm still here because I was attacked out in space, and my ship is still undergoing repairs."

            "Attacked?"

            "I'll explain later.  Hey, can I come visit you guys sometime?  When are you free?"

            "Tomorrow until four, and same for Friday," Edward told her.

            "Great!  How about I come by and see you Friday morning around eleven?"

            "Sounds good to me.  Skye, you don't have practice that day, do you?"

            "Nope.  I'm free."

            "Good!  Then it's settled."

            "Great.  See you then."

            Edward left the room, but Skye stayed behind.  "Oh, no.  Don't tell me you're our server for the evening," Elara glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow as he moved to re-seat her at the table.

            "Of course.  Doesn't the president of Alcyone Enterprises deserve the best treatment?"

            "And I'll get that from you?"

            "Hey!  I'm not as clumsy as I used to be," he replied, pretending to be hurt.  He straightened up and took on an official tone as he took out his notepad and pen.  "Are you ready to order?"

            Elara burst out laughing.

            Skye glanced over at her.  "I'm working on it, I'm working on it."

            "It's just so funny coming from you, that's all," she told him, still laughing.

            The other three had been watching the entire exchange with different thoughts.

            _It must have been a while since she last saw them, _Melfina thought to herself.  _I thought she said she really didn't have any friends her age.  Maybe she forgot about them, and then remembered when she decided to come to this restaurant.  It's nice to know that she does have other good friends out there._  She caught herself.  _I'm already including us in that category, aren't I?  I hope she is too._

            _He must be the manager, and that Skye must be his kid,_ Gene said to himself.  _I wonder how she feels about him.  They're obviously pretty good friends, and have known each other for a while.  I wonder why she's staying with us, rather than with them?  Oh, well.  None of my business._

            _She and that Skye look kind of close,_ Jim thought.  He frowned slightly.  _Am I actually _jealous_ of that guy?  Nah, it can't be…can it?  But why?  She's known me for, what, four or five days, and she must have known him for years.  Maybe it's because I don't have any friends my age, and Elara does—like I'm not her only friend.  Yeah, that must be it._

            "Well, are you ready to order?" Skye repeated.

            "Yeah.  I'll have my usual," Elara told him.  "With a strawberry daiquiri."

            "Virgin?"

            "Yes, please.  Oh, and bring a bottle of your best champagne."

            "Of course.  And for you, sir?" he addressed Gene, seated to Elara's left.

            "I think I'll have the crab—Dungeness, please, with the shrimp salad, bread, and a rice bowl."

            "And to drink?"

            "I'll stick with the champagne, thanks."

            "Madam?"

            "Uh…I'll take the shrimp dish, also with a rice bowl.  And I'll have the champagne to drink."

            "Sir?"

            "The tenderloin steak—hickory smoked, along with salad and a rice bowl.  I'll also have a virgin strawberry daiquiri."

            "Very good.  May I take your menus now?"

            They each carefully handed them over.

            "Your meals will arrive shortly."  He gave Elara a gentle poke on the shoulder as he left.  She shook her head.  "Silly boy."

            "How do you know them?" Melfina asked.  "And are the two related?"

            "Yes, as a matter of fact.  Edward is Skye's father.  He owns and manages this restaurant.  My father helped him get it going, actually.  We've been close to the Winston family for over twenty years now.  I had forgotten that the Jaded Garden was here—for some reason I thought it was on the other side of the planet."

            "Does Skye just help out in his spare time or something?" Gene inquired.

            "Yeah—besides, his dad pays him for it, so he's making his own money on the side.  I haven't seen him for, like, three years.  They weren't able to make it to my brother's funeral due to Edward's sister's death just three days before my brother's."

            "How old is he?" Melfina queried.

            "I think he turned eighteen last month.  He's going off to the university soon—at least that's what he told me he would do after he turned eighteen."

            Elara missed the fleeting expression that crossed Jim's face at the news, but Melfina did not.  _I wonder what he's thinking right now.  That expression isn't normal for him.  It would be hard to imagine Jim as being jealous.  Maybe Elara has had more of an impact on him than I'd thought._

            The conversation switched subjects to that of Gene and Jim's business, and continued along that track until the food arrived.  Both of the guys almost gaped at the sight of the meals they had ordered.  It came on silver platters covered with matching lids in order to keep the food warm.  When Skye revealed the contents to each, it was hard for Elara and Melfina to refrain from laughing at the guys' reactions.  They waited for about two seconds before politely diving into their cuisine.  The two young women proceeded to eat their food more slowly.

            "I think they like the food, Skye," Elara whispered to him before she began eating.

            "Whatever gave you that idea?" he asked innocently.

            "Gee, I don't know," she said, taking on a vacant expression.

            He chuckled.  "I'll return in a bit—if they haven't finished at least their salads by then, I'll be very surprised."

            "At this rate?  They'll be done with their entire meal by that time."

            "Good point."  He raised his voice slightly.  "Do any of you require anything else?"

            Neither Gene nor Jim replied—their mouths were full.  "I think we're fine, thank you," Melfina told him with a smile.

            He nodded and returned the smile.  "I shall return in a short while to see if anything else is required by then."

            "Thank you," Elara said.

            He bowed and left the room.  "Well?" she asked.

            Gene and Jim looked over at her.  "Well what?" Gene replied around a mouthful of crab and rice.

            "How do you like it?"

            He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up with his right hand, still holding his fork.

            Elara shook her head.  "Oh, dear.  How about you, Jim?"

            He swallowed before replying, "It's great, Elara.  Thanks."  He then continued to eat his food at the same pace as before.

            "Do you like yours, Mel?" she asked the other young woman.

            "Oh, it's wonderful.  I've always liked shrimp, and it is quite excellent here."

            Elara laughed.  "I'm glad you like it."

            For the next few minutes the small room was devoid of conversation due to the somewhat voracious appetites of two of those seated there, and the normally paced eating of the other two.

            The evening continued on in a similar fashion, with the conversation resuming once most of the food had been consumed.  When Skye returned a third time, he said, "Here is the check, madam."

            "Thank you.  Mr. Starwind here will be taking care of that for us," she replied with a straight face.  Melfina barely was able to keep her own face expressionless as well.

            "Very good, madam."  Skye bowed and left the room.

            Two forks clattered to the plates below.  "What?!?" Gene said in shock, blinking rapidly.

            "Elara…I thought…aren't you paying for this?" Jim stuttered, his voice strained.

            Melfina could not keep it in any longer, and burst out laughing.  Elara quickly joined her.

            Gene and Jim glanced at them, then at each other, then back at the two young women again.  "This isn't really a laughing matter," Gene said indignantly.  

            That just set them off again.

            Jim glanced over at his partner sheepishly.  "I guess they really got us that time, didn't they?"

            Elara nodded, still laughing.  "You…should have seen…the looks…on your faces!" she said between laughs.

            Melfina nodded her agreement, unable to speak, she was laughing so hard.

            "I'll get you two for this," Gene grumbled.

            Skye returned a moment later.  Elara handed him the receipt, along with the check she had made out for the meal.  She then handed him a few bills as his tip.

            "Elara—you don't have to give me this much," he whispered to her.

            "Skye—you delivered a wonderful performance, and served us well.  If it still seems too much, call it a gift.  Go buy something nice for your girlfriend with it or something."

            He blushed.  "How did you know I had a girlfriend?"

            "Your father told me."

            "That blabbermouth."

            She chuckled.  "I'll see you Friday, then, all right?  And bring your girlfriend, too.  I'd like to meet her."

            "Sure.  See you then, Elara."

            "Bye, Skye."  She turned to face the other three.  "You guys ready to head out?"

            "Yes—after that scare, I need some time to rest my nerves," Gene said with a pointed glance at her as they stood.  "Sheesh, that was almost as bad as facing off with a Kei Pirate."

            Elara laughed outright.  "It was really that bad?"

            "Worse," Jim added.

            She shook her head at them.  "What are we going to do with those two?" she asked Melfina with a sigh.

            "I don't know," she responded with a chuckle.  "Come on, you two.  I think your nerves have calmed enough for you to get to the limousine in one piece."

            "That's what you think," Jim said under his breath.

            Elara elbowed him in the side.  "I heard that."

            "Remind me to complain more quietly next time, then."

            She grinned at him.  "Complain more quietly next time, Jim."

            He shook his head.  "I should have expected that."

            "You should have."

            "Oh, stop that.  You're just making things worse," he said, exasperated.

            "I'm sorry, Jim."

            Her sudden apology stopped him from saying more.  "That's all right, Elara."  He held out his arm for her.  She took it, a bit surprised at his chivalry.  "Like you said, this is a nice place, and we must act properly here," he reminded her, smiling.

            She returned the smile.  "Of course," she replied with a highborn accent.

            Melfina and Gene had stood quietly to the side, watching their exchange.  "If you two teasers don't mind, I would like to get back to the warehouse sometime soon," Gene informed them with a note of impatience in his voice.

            "All right, Gene.  Let's go, then," Elara acquiesced.

            The four left the room and walked out to the steps, where their limousine was at the curb waiting for them.  "Elara, how did the driver know to come?" Melfina queried.

            "I had Skye call for him once we had finished."

            "Ah—that explains it."  The four entered the limousine and were taken back to the warehouse.  Once they had exited the vehicle, Elara paid the driver, who then drove off. 

            "Did you three enjoy your time?" she asked once they were inside.

            "Yeah—the food was great and that champagne was delicious," Gene told her.

            "Everything was great except for the unwanted surprise at the end," Jim added.  Gene vigorously nodded his agreement.

            Elara and Melfina chuckled.  "You two really should have seen the looks on your faces.  Too bad we didn't have a camera with us," Elara wished aloud.

            "Well, I'm glad you didn't," Gene said a bit crossly.  "I'm going up to change out of these clothes and go to bed.  I'm tired."

            "Me, too," Jim echoed.  "See you guys in the morning."

            "Sleep well, you two," Elara bade them goodnight.

            Once the guys had left, Elara asked the other young woman, "Do you think that that trick was a bit too much?  I mean, was it almost unkind?"

            "Elara, don't worry so much.  They'll be over it in the morning.  Besides, couldn't you tell they loved it?  They obviously enjoyed the food."

            "Yeah," she sighed.  "I'd better get up to bed, too.  I'm rather tired."

            "Me too.  Goodnight, Elara."

            "Goodnight, Mel."  The two split up and went to their respective rooms.  Along the way the young president chewed on a lock of her hair, still worried that she had gone too far in teasing Gene and Jim.  She then frowned.  _Why am I so worried about this?  It's not like I'm going to see them much after my ship is repaired and I leave.  _She sighed heavily.  _I don't want to go back—the grind, the burdens, and Stinson…ah, I was able to almost forget about everything here.  What is it about this place?_  

            Elara glanced around her as she entered her room.  _I feel so…comfortable…and welcome…and safe.  I guess that's why I don't want to hurt those two—because I want the atmosphere here to stay the same.  But what makes me feel so good here?  I mean, the people here are kind, to be sure, but aren't they fairly ordinary?_  Slipping out of her dress and into her t-shirt and PJ shorts, she shook her head at the thought.  _No, they're not.  But what is it that makes them so different to me?  The fact that they saved my life must be a big part of it.  But somehow it isn't._

            Elara slipped into the bed and turned out the light, but she could not sleep yet.  Staring up at the ceiling, she continued her train of thought.  _They're just special somehow.  It takes quite a guy to fall in love with a girl who is an android—and quite a girl to see past Gene's exterior to the softer interior he tries so hard to cover up.  How does Jim fit into the equation, then?  Now that I think about it, he's got to feel somewhat left out, seeing Gene and Mel together all the time._  She sighed again.  _I'm going to miss him—all three of them—when I leave._  Saddened by where her thoughts had led her, Elara turned over and tried to sleep.


	3. III

            The next morning Gene made an announcement to the other three.  "I've found out about a fairly large bounty on a guy on Heiphon that I think we should check out."

            "How much is it worth, Gene?" Jim asked.

            "Twenty thousand wong, I think."

            He whistled.  "That's a lot of money!"

            "I know.  Mel, are you up for this?"

            "Of course."

            Gene glanced over at Elara.  "I know you're meeting with your friends tomorrow, and we won't get back until tomorrow night at the earliest, so do you want to stay here and meet them, or go with us and postpone the get-together?"

            Elara mulled it over for a moment.  "I'll stay here."

            "Will you be all right here, by yourself?" Melfina asked with a frown.

            "I'll be fine.  Besides, it's high time I start relearning how to live on my own again.  My ship will be repaired in a little over a week, so I'll be leaving soon anyway.  Would it be all right if I remained here?  I can always get a hotel room if it would be an inconvenience."

            "Don't worry about it.  You can stay here," Jim told her.

            "That's good.  I have to catch up on some work, anyway, so I'm going to go visit the corporate offices here.  This will give me a chance to finally finish checking out some proposed software ideas."

            "Are you sure you'll be all right here?" Melfina queried again.

            "Hey, I relied on myself by myself for eight months before I met you three, and I don't think the skills have left me yet, so I'll be just fine.  I won't get bored—trust me."

            "All right, then.  It's settled.  Elara, we'll try to be back no later than Saturday," Gene promised.

            "That's fine.  Take your time on this bounty.  For the price on his head, I doubt he'll be a walk in the park."

            "We will.  Take care, Elara," Jim said.

            "You, too."

            Fifteen minutes later the three had left, leaving Elara alone.  She sighed and called a cab to take her to the corporate offices.  She did not return to the warehouse until ten that evening.  "Sheesh," she said aloud, "I had no idea I had _that_ much work piled up.  I'd best keep that get-together tomorrow short.  I've got a lot more work to do."

            The next day she went to Skye's house on the other side of town and visited there for five hours.  She was able to meet his seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Alaina, and the two hit it off immediately.

            "Hey, don't I get to hang out with either of you?" Skye complained an hour after the two had met.

            "I don't know…have you been a good boy today?" Alaina asked him with a smile.

            "Have I?"

            "I doubt it, knowing you," Elara told him.

            "Aww…" he pouted.

            The two girls laughed and continued talking.  Elara left their house later on feeling much refreshed and able to tackle a large amount of work that afternoon.  _I think I'm going to go back to the warehouse and grab a bite to eat before heading into work,_ she thought as she entered the car the offices had provided for her.  _It wouldn't do for the president to faint from hunger at her desk, now, would it?_

            Elara parked her car in front of the warehouse and went inside.  In the kitchen she began preparing a light meal for herself when a wave of emotion swept over her.  It was a mixture of anxiety, determination, concentration, and a trace of fear—and it was not her own.  _What the—what is going on here?  If these aren't my emotions, then whose are they?_

            Suddenly an image came into her mind.  There was Gene, holding his caster and pointing it at a shadowed figure.  They were in an abandoned building crumbling from disrepair and age.  Gene looked fairly tense, and his expression was grim.  Then the image changed somewhat.  Now the shadowed figure was no longer shadowed, but in full view.  He was a tall, muscular, older man with shifty eyes and a leer to his lips.  His fingers were crossed, and his mouth was open in such a fashion that he seemed to be saying something.  Gene had taken a step back, and his caster seemed to point downward from its earlier position, no longer directly on the other man.

            The image changed again.  Gene was on the ground, and the other man was laughing.  The feelings Elara was receiving had changed to more fear and anxiety and an increasing feeling of insecurity.  The feeling of determination had vanished.  _Jim?_ she thought suddenly.  The image shattered and the feelings vanished.

            Elara found herself sitting on the floor of the kitchen, her hands clenched to the point where her knuckles were white.  "What was that?" she wondered aloud, and was stunned to find that her voice was shaking.  All of a sudden she remembered something her mother had once told her.

            _"Mother, what's a Guardian?"_ _ Elara asked._

_            "Where did you hear about Guardians, dear?"_

_            "From Grandfather—he was telling me stories about his brother, and he said something about his being a Guardian, but he never told me what they were."_

_            "Guardians are special people with special powers."_

_"Special powers?"_

_            "Yes—such as being able to link their minds with the minds of others, cast energy, increase their speed and reflexes, and even be able to fly for a short time."_

_            "Then why haven't we heard more about Guardians?  I mean, wouldn't they be all over the place fighting the bad guys and stuff?"_

_            "There are limits to these powers, Elara.  They can't use them for themselves—they only come into play when someone they care about is in danger.  Then, and only then, are they able to use these powers.  Once the danger has passed, they are normal people with normal 'powers' again."_

_            "Does it run in the family, Mother?"_

_            "It might, dear.  It just might."_

            Elara's eyes widened as the impact of that long-lost conversation hit her like a falling rock.  _That's…that's impossible!  If I actually am a Guardian—and how else can I explain those emotions and images?—why didn't these powers come into play when my brother was killed?  Does one grow into these powers?  I mean, does one have to be a certain age before they'll work for the first time?  How would I find out, anyway?  Maybe the database at the offices will have something on them…_

            She hurriedly made a lunch and had begun eating it when another thought hit her.  _Whose emotions were those?  And why did everything go away when I thought Jim's name?  Wait a minute…what was it that Mother said?  "They only come into play when someone they care about is in danger."  Jim?  I care about Jim?  Of course I do…but it would have to be fairly powerful feelings for me to link up with him like that…and he's on another planet!_  

            _Is he still in danger?_  The thought hit her forcefully.  _How would I "reconnect" with him?  Should I just reach out for him or something?  Well, here goes…_  Elara tried to push her mind out toward the thought of him, and found it surprisingly easy—she simply followed the trail the "connection" had left.  

            Images swarmed up before her again, but this time they were not stationary, nor were they silent.  

            Sonoron Kai was chanting something.  _How do I know the man's name?_  Elara wondered.  _Oh, yeah, I'm connected to Jim now, and he must know it—they found out about the bounty on him, didn't they?_  

            Off to Jim's left, Gene groaned as he struggled to rise.  _I wonder if I can somehow channel some of my energy into him.  But how?  _Carefully, she pushed out a 'tendril' from her connection with Jim and brushed against Gene's consciousness.  _"Gene, get up!  Come on, you can do it!  You're strong.  Be careful—he's chanting something from the Kei Pirates' repertoire."_

_            "But I've handled that before."_

            Elara was stunned to get a reply.  She tensed for a moment before she realized that was what Gene did.  _He must have thought that it was himself talking when it was actually me, and simply added on the end part as a habit._  She sighed relief.  

            _"I wonder what he's going to throw at me."_

            She recognized the 'voice' and realized she was still attached to him somewhat.  Frowning, Elara tried to place the chant with the type of attack it would bring.  _"A number 10 should take care of it,"_ she thought at him carefully.

            _"It's worked before, hasn't it?"_

            She sighed with relief.  _Good…he's still thinking it's himself doing the talking.  That had better work._

            "Gene!  Are you all right?" Jim called out, his voice laced with anxiety.

            He did not respond.  Instead he loaded his caster with a number ten shell and armed it.

            Kai cackled over his chant.  The cackle said what his voice could not.  _"You really think that thing will affect me?"_

            Gene set his face grimly.  _"This had better work."_

            "What are you doing, Gene?"

            "Trust me, Jim.  Keep your readout steady on him, and give me a warning."

            The image switched to that of the readout.  "Okay."

            It returned to Gene.  Five seconds later a barely audible beep was heard.  "Gene!"

            Kai raised his hand, palm facing the downed Gene.  He finished his chant.  A wave of black wind raced toward him.  Gene fired.  A red energy ball answered the wind.  There was a bright flash, and both forces disappeared.

            "What?" Kai exclaimed in astonishment.  "You have number ten shells?  I didn't think those existed anymore—"

            Gene quickly reloaded his caster and fired.  He caught Kai in the chest, cutting off his words, and sent him sailing.  Another shot sounded, and Elara realized it was Jim who had fired the second time.  The image shifted, and Jim ran over to the fallen man's side, his gun drawn.  "He's dead, Gene."

            "Good," he replied with a groan as he tried to sit up.  _"Okay, whoever you are—thanks for the help, but mind giving me a little warning next time?  A new voice in one's head is enough to make one think that it's time to visit the nearest lunatic asylum."_

            Elara gasped, and the 'connection' broke.  The kitchen came back into view.  _That…that was weird.  I'm a Guardian for sure now…but who is it that I am "protecting?"  Is it Gene, or Jim?_  She frowned.  _No offense to Mel, but Gene is just not my type.  That means it's Jim…_  Shifting her position, she leaned back against the cupboard door and closed her eyes.  _Jim…why him?  I mean, he's a great guy and all, but still…I mean…I never would have dreamed that I would fall for someone like him…  He can never know.  It would never work.  We each have our own businesses to run…it just wouldn't work.  Besides, he probably doesn't even return the feelings._

            Elara opened her eyes, stood up, and sighed.  _I'd better be getting into work soon.  They'll probably be back tomorrow morning, and I want to get as much work as I can done before they return._  Sighing again, she quickly finished making up her lunch and left the house with it in hand.

            She returned to the house an hour later than she had the night before.  Exhausted, the young president lumbered up the stairs to her room, where she collapsed on the bed.  But she could not fall asleep.  _I can't get him out of my head,_ she repeated to herself for the tenth time.  Finally, after an hour of tossing and turning, Elara fell into a worn out slumber.

            The next morning she woke up late to the sounds of people mulling about downstairs.  _They're back already?  Sheesh, I really must have slept in!_  Hurriedly she changed into shorts and a nice shirt and combed her hair.  Elara walked down the stairs to see Gene and Jim seated at the table and heard Melfina in the kitchen.

            "What happened, Gene?" she asked when she saw the bandage around his arm and shoulder.

            "A little injury from taking that guy down," he replied with a cocky grin.

            "I wouldn't say you took him down, Gene," Jim interjected.  "I thought you were a goner when he first shot you."

            "You got shot?" Elara queried.  _I don't remember him getting shot…oh, wait, that must have been when I was getting just infrequent images._

            "Hey, I'm all right now.  I'll be fine in no time."

            "So, you guys got the bounty on him?"

            "Yeah," Jim answered.  "But we only ended up with ten thousand because of the spaceport fees, food costs, and extra caster shells."

            "You had to use a caster?" _I have to act like I have no clue what happened because that would give away my secret._

            "Yeah—he was using some Kei Pirate techniques."

            "Oh, I see.  Well, I'd better get going—I return to Inura in about six days, and I want to be on top of my work when I get there."

            Melfina entered the room with a tray full of food.  "You leave in six days?"

            "Yeah—I found out how long it would be before the _Free Spirit _would be repaired."

            "Oh."

            "See you three later," Elara said as she walked out the door.  It shut loudly behind her.

            "Six more days…" Melfina repeated with a sigh after she had left.

            "That's not very long, is it?" Jim asked.

            "No, it's not," Gene responded.  The three ate their breakfasts somewhat silently, and as soon as each was done they left the table to go work on their own tasks.

            The next four days went by in similar fashion.  The day before Elara was to leave she took them down to the repair bay where her ship, the _Free Spirit_, was docked.  Gene and Jim whistled when they saw it.

            "Nice ship, Elara," Jim complimented her, his eyes taking in its shiny blue hull.

            "I rather like it myself," she said with a grin.  At the aft of the ship flying sparks could be seen as a technician worked on the third engine.

            "It looks sort of like the _Outlaw Star_, doesn't it?" Melfina asked.

            "Yeah, it does," Gene echoed.  "It's a bit smaller, though."

            "It's a grappler ship, so of course it would look somewhat like your ship.  But it's been modified to the point so that a single person can pilot it—it doesn't need a crew.  Besides, Reid takes care of anything I can't."

            "Is Reid your computer?" Jim inquired.

            "Yeah—although he has a better sense of humor than Gilliam does.  I bet they would have interesting conversations."

            "I'd better get back—I've got some work to do," Jim said after another few minutes passed by.

            "I'm going to stay for a while, okay?  I need to make sure that the repairs are going smoothly," Elara told them.

            "All right.  We'll head back, then.  See you later," Gene said.

            "'Bye."

            With a note of pride Elara walked around her ship for the next hour or so.  She had just finished up talking to the head repairman when her cell phone rang.  "Hello?"

            "Can you get back here soon?" Melfina's worried voice asked.

            "Yeah—what's wrong?"

            "I'll tell you when you get here."  A dial tone sounded, and Elara realized she had hung up.

            _What could have rattled up Mel that badly?_ she thought as she raced back to her car.  _Something terrible must have happened._

            Getting back to the house in record time, Elara was out of the car almost before the keys were out of the ignition.  The door opened for her, and Melfina shut it behind her.

            "What happened, Mel?" Elara asked breathlessly.

            Wordlessly she handed over a sheet of paper.  _Mel, _she read,_ don't get overly excited about this.  A guy came to the door while you were still at the store and challenged me.  Jim and I left to take care of him.  We'll be back soon.  Love, Gene._

            Elara glanced up at her after she finished reading to see the unshed tears in Melfina's eyes.  "They didn't even tell me where they were going," she said, choking up.  "And he could get killed."

            Elara's hands began to shake.  _Oh, no…it's that feeling coming back again._  Her muscles tensed, and she began to breathe faster.  She could feel energy surging through her.  _But it's different this time…much different._  She reached out and tried to find Jim, but somehow she could not.  Her heart started racing.  _Where is he?_ she wondered, almost panicky.

            "Are…are you all right, Elara?" Melfina asked, noticing her reaction to the note.

            "I have to know where they have gone," she replied through clenched teeth.

            "But…but they didn't say," she reminded her.

            Elara closed her eyes and tried to find him again, and this time she was able to.  "They're in the junkyard on the other side of town," she told Melfina after a moment.

            The other young woman looked at her in shock.  "How do you know?"

            Elara glanced at her.  "I just do.  It would take way too long to explain.  I'm going."

            "Wait—let me come with you."

            "I don't think you should.  You'd be in grave danger."

            "So will you."

            "I'll be fine.  Trust me."  As she spoke she walked out of the door and into her car, started it, and drove off in the direction of the junkyard.

            Once she was there she turned off the car and left it, not bothering to lock it.  Elara ran as fast as she could through the junkyard, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a man grab Jim from behind and point a pistol at his head.  Her heart raced even faster, and she could feel the strength coming to her.  _How am I going to get over there without that man noticing?_  Suddenly she spotted a large pile of junk behind the man, and piles leading to it.  _I think I can sneak around that way…I hope_.  

            Carefully Elara crouched and began to walk as quickly as she could in the position she was in around to the large pile.  Once she was there, she thought, _Here goes nothing._  With a burst of speed she ran up over the pile and jumped from the top to land directly on the man holding Jim captive.  He hit the ground with a grunt, and a swift blow to the back of his head knocked him out cold.

            Jim whirled around.  He looked at her with a shocked expression when he saw her on top of the man and then quickly knock him out.  "How—how did you do that?" he asked her, his voice shaky.

            "No time for that now, Jim.  Here, take this gun and hang on to it.  Where is Gene?"

            "He's a few hundred feet that way," he replied, pointing.

            "What are you doing out here so far from him?"

            "I was trying to find a good vantage point so I could help him out when that guy pounced on me.  We thought there was only going to be the one guy who challenged him—I guess we were wrong."  He glanced at her with a frown as a thought came to him.  "How did you know we were here?"

            "Lucky guess.  I'd better go."

            "Where are you going?"

            "Hey, you said yourself that you were wrong about there only being one guy—what if there is more than two?"

            Jim's eyes widened.  "Let me go with you."

            "No—you need to be Gene's lookout.  Just be careful, all right?"

            "All right."

            Elara then dashed off in the direction Jim had pointed out.  _Why do I still have the extra strength?  Jim is no longer in danger…or is he?  Maybe I have to get rid of the entire known threat before the Guardian stuff goes away again.  That makes sense…_  Elara rounded another mound of junk and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Gene on his back on the ground with three men standing over him, each with a gun pointed either at his head or his chest.

            Glancing around, she tried to figure out what she could do to take out three men at once.  Then she noticed the slanted roof off to her right.  _I wonder if I could run off that and get enough air to land on all three at once.  Wait…what was it Mother said?  Something about Guardians casting energy or something.  Can I do that?  Well, there's only one way to find out…_

            She moved over toward the lower end of the roof, tensed herself, and ran as fast as she could toward and up it.  _Whoa!  I'm going fast!_

            Suddenly the end of the roof was in sight.  Bracing herself, Elara ran at top speed toward it and jumped off the edge.

            She did not fall.  She continued to fly—glide, rather—toward the three men.  Gene's astonished glance up at her attracted their attention skyward, but before two of the three could react, Elara had conjured up four balls of energy and thrown them at the two men.  Two hit each one directly on the top of the head, and they collapsed in unison to the ground.  

            Elara found that she could no longer concentrate to make more energy weapons because she began to fall.  The third man pointed his pistol up at her as she fell onto him and got off two shots.  When she made impact she heard the bones in his neck pop, then crack sickeningly when they hit the ground directly on the back of his head.  Two swift blows knocked out the other two again as they stirred slightly.

            The danger apparently over, Elara weakly rolled off the dead man's body and landed with a thud on the ground, breathing rapidly.  Gene got up slowly and walked over toward her.  "How the heck did you manage to do that?" he asked her incredulously.

            "Do what?" she replied faintly, trying to put on an ignorant look.

            "Watch out!" Jim cried from his lookout post.

            Elara saw what Jim saw—a fifth man topping another mound with his gun drawn.  Gene could not see him because the man was behind him.  Before anyone—even the fifth man—could do a thing, Elara had drawn Gene's pistol and shot him.

            "That's a number nine!" Gene cried out right after Elara had fired.

            "What?" she exclaimed, glancing down in horror to see that the pistol was Gene's caster.  _I'm too weak to handle the aftereffects of a number nine caster bullet!_

            The fifth man with horror written all over his face was sucked into the small black ball with a sickening cry of agony.  Black lightning shot out from the ball out to Elara and enveloped her.  She fell back down to the ground with a groan as it sucked at her energy.

            "Elara!" Gene and Jim cried out in unison as they saw her fall.  Gene knelt down beside her and Jim raced over from where he had been toward the two.  Gene shook her shoulder gently.  "Can you hear me?"

            Her eyelids fluttered.  "Yeah," she whispered weakly.

            "How the heck were you able to do all that stuff?  And if you can do that, how come you weren't able to fend off the bastards who raped you?" Gene demanded.

            "It takes a while to explain," she said faintly.

            "Gene," Jim cut in, "we should take her back to the ship to recuperate before she explains.  Here, let me help you up," he addressed her.

            "Jim, if she lies down for a minute, she can explain."

            "I don't think we should push her like this," Jim disagreed.

            Elara frowned and whispered with a hint of annoyance, "Sheesh, stop arguing.  If you guys must know…I'm a Guardian."

            "A what?" Gene asked, confused.

            Jim's eyes grew wide.  "A Guardian is someone who gains special powers—like what we just saw—whenever someone they care about is in danger…" he trailed off as a thought came to him.  _She likes Gene, doesn't she?  I had always known there was no hope for me, but now I know for sure._

            Elara's cheeks were tinged with a light shade of pink.  _Now Jim knows…and he doesn't care about me.  I should have figured that._

            "We should get you back to the house—can you walk on your own?" Gene asked her, completely oblivious to the impact of what Jim had just revealed.

            Elara nodded.  When she sat up she winced as fiery pain lanced up her ribs.  Her hand went to her side.  She then drew it away to find her palm covered in blood.

            "You're hurt!" Jim exclaimed when he saw her hand.

            "Never mind…I don't know if I can make it on my…" she began, trailing off as she lapsed into unconsciousness.

            Immediately Jim scooped her up in his arms and began to carry her back to the place where he and Gene had left the car.  Gently he laid her in the back seat, and then he and Gene sat up front, the latter in the driver's seat.  He kept glancing back at Elara to make sure that she was all right.

            Soon they returned, and Melfina dashed out to greet them.  After embracing Gene, she glanced over at Elara in Jim's arms and gasped at her condition.  "We'd better get her inside so I can bandage her wound," she said with an authoritative note in her voice.

            The two guys did not argue.  Jim took Elara up to her room, where Melfina then shooed them out and shut the door after grabbing the first aid kit.  A few minutes later she left the room and shut the door behind her.

            Jim ran up to her seconds after she had left.  "Will she be all right?"

            "I think so.  It looks like the bullet just nicked her, and she's exhausted.  I gave her something for the pain that will also help her sleep.  I doubt that she'll be waking up anytime soon."  Melfina glanced back at him.  "How did you guys manage to get out of there all right?  Gene told me that there were five guys there after you."

            He explained, but was interrupted when he told her what Elara had done.  "How did she do that?" Melfina asked.

            "She's a Guardian."

            "What's a Guardian?"

            Jim slowly explained that to her, carefully watching her face for any sign that she noticed what he had figured out back at the junkyard.  _I don't know how she would react if I told her Elara has a crush on Gene, so I won't say anything._  With a small sigh of relief Jim did not see any recognition on Melfina's countenance.

            The rest of the day passed by uneventfully.  Jim was a little worried when night fell and Elara had not yet stirred, but Melfina did her best to allay his fears.  "Don't worry, Jim," she said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "She needs the rest, and I think she'll be almost her normal self in the morning.  You'll see.  Now you need to get some sleep.  Pacing won't do you any good."

            "All right, Mel.  Where's Gene?"

            "I think he went out to the ship to check something out.  He'll be back soon."

            "Are you going to wait up for him?"

            "Yeah.  Good night, Jim."

            "Good night, Mel."

            Slowly Jim trudged up the stairs, his face troubled and his shoulders slumped.  

            Melfina watched him leave.  _I wonder what is bothering him so much.  I can tell he likes Elara, and obviously she cares about him.  So why is he so down all of a sudden?  Is it because she's leaving tomorrow?  Yeah, that must be it.  And the fact that she's asleep is taking away time he could have spent with her._

            With a heavy sigh she turned away from the stairs and sat down on the couch to wait for Gene's return.


	4. IV

            The next morning as the sun was just peeking over the horizon, Elara finally woke up.  Glancing out her window, she thought, _It's early…why don't I pack now and get out of here before the others wake up?  It would be so much easier if I didn't have to face Jim again._  Her heart heavy, the young president got out of bed, slipped into her every day clothes, and threw her other articles of clothing into the travel bag she had brought over from her ship.

            Quietly Elara tiptoed out of her room and down the stairs and was walking out the door when she hesitated.  _I should at least write a farewell note,_ she told herself.  Grabbing a scratch sheet of paper and a pen, she sat down and wrote, _Thank you so very much for all that you have done for me.  If you're wondering, I'm leaving this way because it's easier.  By the time you read this I'll already be long gone, so don't bother coming after me.  Take care of yourselves, and try to stay out of trouble.  Love, Elara. _

            _That should do it,_ she thought as she laid it down on the table.  Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder once again, Elara took one more look around the house and then walked out the door.  She put her bag in the passenger seat of her car and drove off.

            Four hours later Melfina walked into the living room and frowned when she spotted the note lying on the table.  She walked over to it and picked it up, then dropped it in shock once she had read it.  _Oh, no…_she thought, collapsing onto the sofa.  _Elara…why did you think it would be easier this way?  Jim is going to be devastated._  Sighing again, Melfina stood and made her way into the kitchen where she began to prepare breakfast.

            Fifteen minutes later Jim went down the stairs as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.  Blinking, he yawned and walked past the living room table.  _What's that?_ he wondered when he spotted the note.  He picked it up and read it.  Seconds later he was frozen in place, his eyes unable to leave Elara's handwriting.  _She's gone?  Without even saying goodbye?  Will I ever see her again?_  He glanced at it again.  _She left like this because it's easier for her…does she mean it's easier for her to leave without seeing Gene again?  That would make sense, I guess…but it doesn't make _me_ feel any better._

            Melfina walked into the room, but stopped short when she saw Jim standing by the table like a statue.  "You've seen the note, haven't you?" she asked.

            He held it up for her to see.  "Why?" was all he could get out before a lump formed in his throat.

            She moved over to his side and put her arm around his shoulders.  Jim shrugged her arm off and walked away, realizing that her sympathy could break him down, and he did not want to let anyone—even Melfina—see him cry.  He went directly back to his own room and shut the door behind him.

            Collapsing onto the bed, Jim started attacking his pillow as his unanswered questions raged in his mind.  _Why did she leave without saying goodbye?  Where did she go?  Where is she now?  Will I ever see her again?  Why, Elara,_ why_?_

            Gene sauntered down the stairway about thirty minutes later, since the smell of breakfast had woken him up.  When he saw Melfina's sad expression, he knew something was wrong.  "Are you all right?" he asked her gently.

            She shook her head, wordlessly picked up the note, and handed it to him.  He read it, and as he did so his eyes opened wider and wider.  He glanced at Melfina again once he had finished.  "Why did she think it would be easier?" he wondered aloud.

            One of her eyebrows went up.  "You mean you have no idea?"

            He shook his head.  "Not really.  Should I?"

            "Yes.  Don't you remember what happened yesterday?"

            "Of course I do.  How could I forget?"

            "Did Jim explain to you what a Guardian is?"

            "Yeah.  So?"

            Melfina's voice took on an exasperated note.  "A Guardian can only use his or her special powers when someone they care about is in danger.  Guardians are just that—Guardians.  They protect others, but have no special means of defending themselves."

            All the pieces fell into place in Gene's mind.  "So that's why she couldn't use those powers to defend herself from those pieces of shit…"  His eyes widened in shock.  "She likes Jim?"

            Melfina nodded.  "Yes."

            Gene frowned.  "But…then why did she come to my rescue as well?"

            "I've been thinking about that, and I think I've figured it out.  Since there were so many men after both of you, she realized that they planned to take you down first, and then go after Jim.  So in order to save Jim—"

            "—she had to save me as well," Gene finished.  He glanced at the note again.  "Do you have any idea when she wrote this note?"

            Melfina shook her head.  "None at all.  For all I know, she could have just left right before I came downstairs, or she could have left in the middle of the night."

            "That was a good strategy of hers, then," Gene said with a grudging half-smile.

            "What was?"

            "When she wrote the words 'By the time you read this I'll already be long gone,' she made us think that she had left hours ago, when she may have left just before you woke up.  She might still be on the ground."

            "Should we go after her?"

            "I will."  Gene glanced around the room.  "Where's Jim?  Has he read this yet?"

            "Yes.  He went back to his room after he'd seen it."

            Gene shot her a quizzical look.  "Does he like her?"

            "I think so."

            "So…I wonder why Elara thought it would make things easier for all of us if she left immediately.  Or does each think the other doesn't like them?"

            "You might be right, Gene," Melfina agreed.  "I can't see how else to explain this."

            "I'm going to go to the spaceport and see if she's still around.  If she is, I'll try to bring her back, or at least talk to her.  If she's not, I'm going to find out where her company's headquarters are and pay her a visit."

            Melfina laid a restraining hand on his arm.  "Gene, be gentle.  She's been through a lot over the past few weeks.  She's still tender."

            Gene shook his head as if to clear it.  "You're right, Mel.  I do tend to be brusque at times, don't I?  Even when I have the best intentions in mind."  Impulsively he kissed her.  "I love you, Mel."

            She looked into his eyes, her own shining.  "I love you too, Gene."

            With a nod he left the room.  He got into his car and started the engine.  Seconds later he was out on the road heading toward the city spaceport.

* * *

            Out in space, finally, Elara allowed the tears to flow.  Reid had already taken over, so there was nothing that needed her attention.  The sudden lack of activity had broken down all of her barriers, and she cried.  The stars blurred as the tears coursed down her face.  Five minutes later, after regaining her voice and composure, she asked Reid, "How much longer will we remain in ether drive before entering Inuran space?"

            "One hour, forty-three minutes, twenty-two seconds, to be exact."

            "Thanks, Reid."  Elara leaned back in her seat.  _I'd better send a message to the office letting them know my return is imminent once I'm back in normal space.  I wonder if Stinson realizes I know all about the attempt on my life.  He's sure to know that I'm still alive._

            Hugging herself, a memory rose unbidden to the front of her mind.  _The way Jim held me that night…_  With a harsh shake of her head she tried to quell the recollection, but found that it would be harder to forget him than just willing the memory away.  The way her pulse raced and her breathing quickened when she thought of that moment proved that to her immediately.  Heaving a great sigh she tried to push him as far back into her mind as she possibly could, and turned her mind back to thoughts of her immediate future, and what it might hold for her.

            Reid's calculations were perfect.  They reentered realspace about ten thousand kilometers out from the planet Inura, where Alcyone Enterprises' headquarters was located.  Then Elara sent a tight-beam message to her office on the surface letting them know where she was and that she would be heading over to headquarters as soon as she had finished landing procedures.

* * *

            Gene arrived at the spaceport to find that the _Free Spirit_ had blasted off three hours earlier, and was apparently headed for Inura.  He thanked the man who had supplied the information and left for the nearest business directory.  He found one in a library, and the directory informed him that the company was located on Inura.  _So, she's heading straight back home.  Now all I have to do is find an excuse for us to go there as well…and I'll have to keep Jim off my back.  I want to talk to Elara alone.  If I can persuade her to come back, or at least visit with us briefly, it would be a great surprise for Jim._

            He smiled ruefully.  _Suzuka would call that wish an example of me being tough on the outside and a softie on the inside.  Oh, well.  Won't hurt to be a sensitive guy every now and then, will it?  I'll have to ask Mel to help me find something to get us over to Inura._  Gene sighed when he remembered something.  _I wish we didn't have this whopping 1.6 million wong debt over our heads…it would make finding an excuse to go to that planet that much easier if we weren't in debt.  Going there will put us in further debt still.  Man, everything is so expensive around here._

            Gene shook his head to clear it, and then left the library.  He got into his car, started it, and headed back to the house.

* * *

            Five hours after sending the message Elara was in her office.  Almost as soon as she had sat down behind her spacious oaken desk, Stinson burst into the room.  Elara's secretary followed him in meekly.  "Where have you been?" he demanded.

            "Need I remind you, Stinson, that you are my subordinate?" she replied coolly.  "I can have you fired, you know."

            He glared at her.  His expression said _Yeah, right.  All words and no backbone, that's what you are._  Aloud he said, "Would it be too much trouble for you to answer my question?" he queried icily.

            "I have been on Centennial III, awaiting repairs on my ship.  I was attacked by pirates on my way there for the board meeting that I was to attend.  During that battle I sustained much damage, which took almost four standard weeks to be repaired.  I attended the meeting and waited for my ship to become space worthy once again."  Elara deliberately glossed over the whole attempted murder incident.  She was rewarded with Stinson still standing there, silent, as if he was waiting for her to say more.  _You're incriminating yourself, Stinson.  I wouldn't have anything more to say if you hadn't tried anything._

            More time ticked by.  "Are you waiting for me to say something?" she asked sweetly.

            Stinson shook his head as if to clear it.  "Why would I be?" he said, trying to recover.

            "Oh, I don't know," she replied.  "I was just wondering.  Did you require anything of me?" she asked pointedly.

            "Nothing more, thank you.  I have work to do," he said, excusing himself and leaving the room.

            Elara's secretary still remained at the door.  "Did you receive the papers I sent you from Centennial III?" she asked the young woman.

            "Yes, I did."

            "Who has seen them?"

            "The VP, for one."

            "And who gave him permission?"

            "I believe he gave himself permission, if I remember correctly."

            "Interesting.  That will be all, Serena."

            Serena nodded and left the office, closing the door behind her.

            Elara sighed heavily.  _Same old, same old, _she thought.  _I'm going to inspect this floor's offices, do some paperwork, and then head home.  I'm exhausted.  Tomorrow, I think __I'd better visit my doctor.  She sighed again and left the office to conduct her inspection and questioning._

            When she returned, an idea came to her.  "Wait a minute," she thought aloud.  "Weren't they in major debt when I left them?  I think Jim's figures said something like 1.7 million wong…  I'd better send Gene a message—it's high time those guys got out of debt.  Besides, I owe them a lot."  Elara tried to block Jim's image from coming out from the back of her mind as best she could as she typed her message.  She sent it, and then began to transfer a certain amount of money from her account into Fred Luo's, the man Gene and Jim were indebted to.

* * *

            Ten minutes later Gene got her message.  He was surprised to get one from her, so he began reading immediately.

_Gene,_

_            I realize you are probably surprised to receive this message.  I'm writing to tell you something that otherwise you would eventually hear about, but from him it wouldn't make any sense.  In short, I've placed three hundred thousand wong in your personal bank account, and am sending Fred Luo a fixed amount of one hundred thousand wong every month until your debt is paid in full.  The only catch is he thinks _you're_ paying him.  If you're wondering why I'm doing this, consider it a payment for all that you three have done for me.  Besides, I feel like doing it, and—I'm not trying to brag—it's not all that much money to me.  (Since you're kind of stuck with this arrangement, you can't argue with me, can you?  Ha ha.)  So now you're three hundred thousand on the positive side, and hopefully this will give you enough of a boost to avoid having to borrow ever again from Fred.  Personally, the guy scares me.  Anyway, take care of yourself._

_                                                                                                            Elara_

_P.S._

_Don't tell Jim about this unless you absolutely have to…wait a sec.  Isn't he the one who usually handles the financial side of your business?  Then he's bound to find out about it soon.  See you around, Gene._

            Gene was dumbfounded by her letter and by her generosity.  _She's paying off our entire debt, as a repayment__ for what we did for her?  Sheesh, she sure must have thought we did a lot more than we actually did._

            The phone rang.  Gene got off the chair he had been sitting on in order to work on the computer and answered it.  It was Fred.  "Gene, I can't believe it!  You've finally done some sort of job and started to pay me back.  Wonderful!  Am I going to keep getting payments like these?"

            "Every standard month, Fred," he replied, trying to keep his expression casual, knowing that Fred could see it over the visiphone.

            "Great!  Say, Gene, how did you get into the money like this?"

            Gene winked at Fred's image.  "Trade secret, Fred.  You know how it is."

            "Right, Gene," Fred said, his expression doubtful.          

            "I need to go, so—"

            "Right.  More of this 'trade secret' type work?"

            "Yeah, something like that."

            "Talk to you later, Gene."

            "Bye, Fred."  Gene hung up and let out a sigh of relief.  _Good, he took the bait._

            "Who was that, Gene?" Jim asked as he entered the room.

            "Oh, just Fred," he replied with a shrug.

            "Oh.  So, what did he want this time?"

            "Ah, nothing," he dodged the question.

            "Gene, Fred never calls for nothing," Jim pestered him.

            "There's a first time for everything, Jim.  I need to go take care of something."

            Jim watched him leave with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.  "I wonder what he's trying to hide," he said aloud to himself.  He shrugged and went into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.

* * *

            Elara arrived at her mansion at eight that night.  _I'm starved.  I haven't eaten since lunch, and that was before _noon___.  Wearily she trudged up the stairs, greeting every servant she passed along the way.  Once in her room she collapsed onto the bed and called her doctor.  She made an appointment for the next day, changed into the t-shirt and shorts she usually wore to bed, and tried to fall asleep.  But thoughts of Jim, far away on another planet, haunted her and prevented her from falling asleep immediately.  Forty-five minutes later she finally drifted off into a restless slumber._

            The next morning she called her office to let them know that she would not be coming in until the afternoon.  Then she drove over to the complex where her physician worked and had her look her over.  The results of the examination were not good—in Elara's eyes, at least.

            "You're in perfect health," Dr. Thornton told her.  "When you told me you had been raped, I had expected your condition to be less than good, but you seem as good as new—as if it had never happened.  Did you see a physician directly afterward?"

            "No," Elara replied.

            The doctor frowned.  "That's odd.  I can't explain your condition, then.  Even though you're young and healthy, one would think you'd have a few scars."

            _I agree, Elara thought silently._

            "Here's your evaluation card, Elara, showing that you're in perfect health.  I don't think we need to see you for at least another year.  We'll call you in advance and let you know."

            "Thanks," she replied, shaking her hand.  Elara left, consternated.  _Now I don't have any physical evidence to prove what happened to me!  This is bad…_  Unfortunately, Elara was never told that Gene had found the ID papers of the hired men, so she had no idea that she could use those as evidence.

            Another thing Elara did not know was that Stinson had paid Dr. Thornton off the day before so that she would tell Elara that there were no marks.  An hour later an email arrived at Stinson's desk.  He read it eagerly.  _Wonderful—no physical evidence.  But what's this?  She really had no marks on her of any kind?  That's odd…and she didn't see a physician while still on Centennial III.  Oh, well.  No physical marks means that if she ever thinks I had anything to do with the attempt on her life, she has one less way to prove it._

            Sighing, Elara got into her car and headed over to her office.  She worked late that day, as usual, and tried to go about her day as nonchalantly as she could.  The fact that Stinson was watching her every move unnerved her more than a little, and soon her front began to fall apart.

            The next day Elara received a call before she left for work.  "You seem stressed, President Alcyone," Stinson's voice sounded from the other end.  "Why don't you take the day off?  All of us here at the office have noticed your changed behavior, and are a bit concerned.  Maybe you should see someone about it.  If you want to talk to someone, visit Dr. Duraine.  He's free at two this afternoon."  Elara heard a click as the vice president hung up.

            _Sounds like he made an appointment for me.  I don't think seeing that guy would be a bad thing, though.  And a day off sounds nice.  I'll just relax until then._

            Precisely at two Elara showed up at the psychiatrist's office.  "President Alcyone?  Why, it's a pleasure!  Your vice president told me to expect you," he told her.

            _He did now?  Interesting way to put it.  "Thank you for having me, Doctor."_

            He led her inside.  "Will you have a seat?"

            "Thank you."

            Dr. Duraine began to question her.  They were light, easy questions at first, but eventually they became harsher and more painful—emotionally painful, at least.  Elara wanted to leave, but she felt pinned to her seat by those dark, sinister eyes of his that remained locked onto her own.  She felt he could see into her very soul—which unnerved her greatly.

            Eventually the whole rape ordeal was out in the open, but somehow Elara had been unable to tell him that she had overheard that Stinson had been involved.  Finally, over an hour after the interrogation began, Dr. Duraine finished his questioning.  He shook her hand and smiled benignly at her, as if he had put on another, kinder face.

            Elara left his office thoroughly disturbed.  _Why was I stupid enough to go someplace that Stinson had told me to go?  I should have known better.  Now what is Stinson going to do?_

            Dr. Duraine's report arrived in Stinson's e-mailbox thirty minutes later.  "How interesting," Stinson said aloud to himself as he read the report.  "He is fairly detailed, isn't he?"  He sighed with malicious pleasure.  "I'm holding all the cards, dear Elara.  Soon, I will be able to prove you imagined the whole ordeal.  Hopefully that will cast enough doubt into the minds of the Board members for them to question your capabilities.  Then we'll boot you out, and I'll become the president of this company.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to wrest the ownership of this company out of your hands into mine."  He began to cackle softly to himself as he rubbed his hands together eagerly in anticipation.

* * *

            Five days later, Stinson confronted Elara in her office with a folder full of papers in his hand.  "I have just received astonishing news.  This packet of papers shows you to claim that you were raped by two men and have appropriate emotional scars.  On the other hand, another sheaf of papers proves that you have no physical marks or damage of any sort, which is utterly astonishing in a case such as this."  Stinson changed his tone to one of worry.  "President Alcyone, why did you imagine that you were raped?  Are you all right?" 

            Elara was enraged.  _How dare he accuse me of such a thing when he knows very well that that is not the case?  But how did he prove it?  Oh, no…he got the report from my physician somehow.  And then, like I had figured, he has my full psychiatric analysis.  What is he going to do with it though?_  "I am fine, Stinson.  And I did not 'imagine' it, as you so eloquently put it," she said in an icy tone.

            Stinson sighed theatrically and shook his head.  "You poor girl.  Do you feel like you need more attention, and is that why you forced this upon yourself?  I think you need some professional help here."

            "Get out, Stinson," she ordered in a deathly quiet voice.

            He shrugged as he turned to leave.  "I'm only trying to help you, my dear."

            Only then did Elara realize he had left the door open.  _Crud!  The whole office must have heard our conversation!  And he must have rigged it that way.  She was fuming, yet helpless to do anything in her defense._

            The next day, as Elara sat in her office trying to get her mind off Stinson, she noticed a small, odd metallic object high up on the left wall.  _What the…oh, no.  He's planted some sort of device in here!  Whether it's a listening or visual device, I have no idea.  How would I figure it out?  _

            An idea came to her.  She began waving a notebook over her head and tried to act semi-retarded, but made no sound.  Then she stopped and waited for a few minutes.  Nothing happened; no one came.  She sighed with relief.  _It's not visual, so it must be audio.  I guess I'll just act as normally as I can in here.  How was he able to bug my office without getting into trouble?  Maybe he claimed that it was for my own good or something that they keep some sort of eye on me.  But then someone must have chimed in and said that it would be best to give me some privacy and suggested audio instead of visual._

            Elara frowned.  _Now what?  Knowing that isn't really going to do me any good.  Oh, well.  At least I know it's there._


	5. V

            The crew of the _Outlaw Star _had felt Elara's absence keenly over the past week.  Though she had not been there long, she had somehow affected each rather deeply.  

            Gene smiled to himself as he walked into the main room of their warehouse home, looking for Jim.  _Finally, an excuse to go to Inura.  _"Jim, I've just got a job offer," he announced.

            "What is it?"

            Gene glanced down at the paper he was holding.  "Cargo transfer from here to Inura of rare spices.  The pay is good—looks like twelve thousand wong."

            "Five thousand!" Jim exclaimed.

            "Yeah—two thousand up front, and ten when we deliver it."

            Jim's expression turned quizzical.  "Why so much?"

            "I guess they've heard of the _Outlaw Star and think that we'll be able to protect the cargo well."_

            "Oh—so they're concerned about piracy attempts?"

            "Looks like it."

            "Did you accept it?"

            "Of course.  It _is_ a lot of money, you know."

            "Duh, Gene."

            "Mel," Gene called to her up the stairs.

            "Yes?"

            "We're heading out to Inura this afternoon after we get the cargo loaded."

            "You got a job?"

            "Of course I did."

            Melfina walked down the stairs.  A few minutes later, after Jim had gone upstairs to get his laptop, she asked Gene, "Isn't Inura the planet where Elara's company's headquarters is located?"

            "Yes."

            Melfina's expression grew apprehensive.  "What do you have in mind, Gene?"

            "I'm going to talk to her—you know, find out exactly what is going on…and thank her personally for what she did."

            "Does Jim know about the money yet?"

            "If he does, he hasn't said anything.  But if he knew, he would have asked me where it came from, so my guess is he is still in the dark."

            "Be gentle with her, Gene—she may have the maturity, job, and poise of a thirty-year-old businesswoman, but she is still a sixteen-year-old girl.  Don't ever forget that," Melfina told him, underlining the last statement with a hint of steel.

            "You're worried about her, aren't you?"

            "Yes.  I don't even want to imagine the emotional scarring she has from her…ordeal, as if her having lost her family and thrust into the presidency of a huge company wasn't enough for a girl at her age to handle."

            Gene lifted her chin up with his finger and looked into her eyes.  "Mel, I promise you that when I go talk to her I'll be good, all right?"

            "Thank you, Gene."

            True to his word, the trio was on their way to Elara's home planet that afternoon.  "Gilliam, how long will we be in ether drive before reverting to Inuran space?" Gene asked once they had left Centennial III's gravity shadow.

            "Four hours, twenty-four minutes, and seventeen seconds, to be exact, Gene," the computer replied crisply.

            "Thanks, Gilliam.  I'm going to go check on the cargo restraints right now, so keep an eye on things, 'kay?"

            "Of course."

            Gilliam's computations proved to be only half a second off once they entered Inuran space.  "Whoa—large planet," Jim commented once it came into view.

            "No kidding.  Mel, direct us to the capital city."

            "Sure thing," she replied.

            A little over an hour later they had touched down at the main spaceport.  "Gene, the fees here are going to cost us a fortune!" Jim exclaimed once he had learned of their destination.

            Gene flashed him a roguish grin.  "Hey, don't worry about it, Jim.  I'm sure we'll be able to cover it."

            "That's easy for you to say, since you don't know about our financial state," he mumbled under his breath.

            "What did you say?" Gene demanded.

            "Nothing, nothing," he replied evasively, glancing away from his partner and putting his hands behind his head, as was his habit when avoiding Gene's requests to repeat himself.

            A few hours later they had unloaded and delivered the cargo and had been paid for the job.  "So now what?" Jim asked after carefully counting over the money.

            "Now I'm going to go out on the town," Gene told him with a wink and a grin.

            Jim groaned.  "Not again.  Mel, can't you talk some sense into him?"

            Melfina chuckled.  "Is it possible?" she replied with a teasing smile.

            "Hey!" Gene protested.  "I'll be back around dinnertime, all right?"

            "Sure," Jim said with a roll of his eyes.

            Gene chose to ignore that and walked off.  A few blocks away he hailed a cab and told the driver to take him to the Alcyone Enterprises corporate office building on 6th Avenue downtown.  He arrived there minutes later and, after paying the cabbie, stared up at the massive skyscraper in awe.  _Nice place Elara has here.  Now to see if I can get inside to meet with her._

            He took the elevator up to the seventy-fifth floor after asking the desk where the president's office was located.  Upon arriving at the floor he was again stopped short by the opulence displayed there.  Expensive mahogany woods from the exotic world of Enrica paneled the walls.  Gene recognized the wood due to its distinct spicy scent.  Lush green carpet covered the floor, muting the steps of employees moving from place to place.

            Putting on an air of confidence he did not quite feel, Gene strode down the corridor toward Elara's office.  When he got there he noticed that her secretary was busy talking with a white-haired man, so he sat down and waited for her to finish.  _Here goes nothing—I had better try the legitimate channels first before doing anything drastic._

            Seven minutes later the white-haired man left and Gene walked up to the massive oaken desk.  "Yes?" the secretary asked politely.

            "Is there a spot open today for a meeting with President Alcyone?" he asked.

            The secretary glanced through the day's notebook.  "You're in luck, sir.  There is a two-hour spot open beginning at twelve fifteen this afternoon.   Shall I write you in for it?"

            "Yes, please."

            "I will need your name for it, sir."

            He glanced at her with a slightly embarrassed look.  "Sorry.  It's Gene Starwind."

            "Thank you, sir.  We will see you at twelve fifteen, then?"

            "Of course."  As Gene turned to leave he spotted a man in his early fifties stomp angrily toward Elara's office and barge into it without giving any advance warning of his coming.  He frowned and turned as casually as he could back to Elara's secretary.  "Who was that?"

            The secretary winced.  "The vice president, Ivan Stinson.  He's been getting on the president's case lately about imagining some sort of traumatic event, and is trying to persuade the Board that she is incapable of carrying out the duties of her position.  Personally, I think she should get rid of him, but right now he's undermined her authority enough that I don't think it would matter."  Her expression changed to one of fear.  "Don't tell anyone I said that, please, Mr. Starwind."

            "Your secret is safe with me," he promised.  Gene then glanced at a nearby clock.  _Two hours until I get to meet with her.  I hope she doesn't revoke my appointment or anything…I don't think she will, but with the way she left, maybe she doesn't want to see any of us again._

            As he punched the first-floor button in the elevator he frowned when he remembered that man's actions.  _She said that the VP was getting on Elara's case about imagining some sort of traumatic event.  There's only one thing that could be—her being raped.  But what did he mean by imagining it?  How would he know?  That's just one more thing I will have to ask her in two hours._

            Deep in thought, he sauntered absentmindedly through the lobby once he had exited the elevator at the first floor and left the building.

* * *

            Fifteen minutes after Gene's departure Stinson left Elara's office with an annoyed expression on his face.  _She's a tough one, all right—I've got to get just a little bit more hard evidence to prove she's cracked to the Board—I wish she would say something in her office that would give me the break I need!  I'm running out of time, since the longer she remains apparently sane, the less pull my argument will have.  Still grumbling to himself, he returned to his own office and got down to work._

            Meanwhile, Elara had just received her updated schedule for the day and was shocked to find Gene's name written in.  _What on earth could he have to say to me? she wondered, then grimaced.  __A whole lot, she reminded herself.  __Oh, well.  Best to be prepared.  She took out a sheet of paper from one of her drawers and began writing on it._

* * *

            Promptly at twelve fifteen Gene was admitted into Elara's office.  It was all she could do to refrain from running to him.  Instead, she calmly glanced up at him and said in greeting, "Hello, Mr. Starwind."

            "Hello, President Alcyone," he replied in kind, catching on to her tone of voice.

            "Will you sit down?"

            "Thank you."

            Elara reached down into a file drawer and withdrew a slim folder, taking care to ruffle the pages somewhat loudly.  "If you will peruse these papers, I believe you will find everything to be to your satisfaction.  Let me know if you have any questions, of course."

            Gene nodded and opened the folder.  Only the first page held words; the rest were completely blank.  Glancing at the note, he read, _Gene, this office is bugged.  It's a really long story, and I'm sure you want to hear all about it, since normal company presidents don't have bugged offices.  I want to explain some things to you, but I can't here.  Maybe you could ask me out to lunch or something—you know, get us out of here to a place where we can talk.  In short, I need your help.  Desperately._

            He glanced up at Elara in surprise, who sat there watching him.  "The papers do look well in order, President.  But since I do have a few issues to discuss with you, would it be all right if I treated you to lunch?  I am sure you are rather hungry by this time, and I must admit that I am famished."

            "That would be wonderful, Mr. Starwind."  Elara stood and walked over toward him.  Gene also stood, and before he opened the office door for her caught her flashing him a grateful smile.

            He nodded in reply and opened the door for her, then followed her out.  "One of the things I was curious about, President Alcyone, was the ratio of piracy attempts to successful boardings.  I deal in rare goods, as you well know, and would not like them to fall into pirate hands."

            Elara realized Gene was trying to make legit conversation and appreciated his efforts.  "Last I checked only three percent of all cargo transports had been attacked by pirates, and of that three percent only seven point five percent were successfully boarded.  Of those successful boardings, fully half were intercepted by Space Police Forces."

            "You have quite the positive record, President."  By this time they had entered the elevator.  After Gene had hit the first floor button, he cast a quizzical glance at Elara, and a shake of her head warned him that they were not out of danger yet.  "However, I must ask how it is that you are able to enlist the Space Forces' help so quickly."

            "A legitimate question.  All of our ships, and those ships that are pressed into our service temporarily, are outfitted with a transponder beacon manufactured by a branch of this company.  That beacon, once the activation button is pressed, sends out a large-wave radio distress signal throughout the immediate area of space and a small-wave signal through hyperspace, alerting all forces within a five-light-year radius to the situation at hand, as well as the exact location of the raid.  Generally there is a Space Force base within that radius.  Alcyone Enterprises rarely deals with planets that are so far away from the major centers that they would not have enough bases to cover that much space."

            When reaching the circulation desk in the main lobby, Elara had the man on duty order her car brought around.  Minutes later they had been led out by another man to the waiting limousine.  The chauffeur let them in, and once they had been comfortably seated asked them their destination.

            "The Crystal Shard restaurant, please," Gene told him.

            Elara glanced over at him with an approving look.  _It's high-class enough for me to go there, but is too much of a public place for Stinson to have a legit reason to bug it.  We'll be able to safely speak there.  He's not powerful enough to get away with any illegal eavesdropping in that place—my servants have it and six other restaurants checked out and have assured me that there is no one within his reach working in the building.  The only reason I can trust them is because they were completely loyal to my parents first, then my brother, and now me._

            "Do you use grappler ships?" Gene asked, breaking into her thoughts and steering her back into their earlier line of discussion.  _I doubt that this car is bug-free, so I'll wait to drop the disguise until we reach the restaurant._

            "From time to time, if we see a need for them."

            "How do you define a need?"

            _He's good, real good.  He asks all the questions a real customer would ask.  This is a side of Gene I've never seen before.  "A need is if the cargo is what one would think would be fairly enticing to a pirate group to lay their hands on, or if the cargo is being transferred through an area that sees heavy pirate activity."_

            "How effective are they against pirate attacks?"

            "Very.  We recruit only the best pilots and buy only the best ships this galaxy has to offer.  The fact that the company is so diversified grants us the funding to be able to do that."

            "How many areas do you cover within Alcyone Enterprises, exactly?"

            "Let's see…computer hardware and software, delicate electronics and repair, cargo transport, office hardware, computer and video games and hardware, television production, radio production, and book and video publishing and distribution."

            Gene's eyes grew wide.  _I had no idea they encompassed _that_ many industries._  He regained his composure and replied nonchalantly, "Quite the self-sustaining business, apparently."

            Elara was pleased at his self-control.  "Yes.  The fact that we are diversified allows us to keep one part of the company to keep running even if the demand for its products begins to decline, helping us stay in business and refraining from having to worry about mass layoffs."

            "I'm surprised more companies haven't followed suit."

            "It does take quite an operating base to launch a corporation of this magnitude, you know.  It does not appear overnight."

            "True."  Gene was about to answer another question, but the driver interrupted.  "We have reached the restaurant, ma'am."

            "Very good.  I will let you know when I wish for you to return."

            "Yes, ma'am," he answered.  Parking on the curb, he exited the vehicle and walked around to the back, opened the door, and allowed Gene and Elara to exit.  Once standing out on the sidewalk, Gene courteously offered Elara his arm and together they walked inside the building.

            "Thank you, Gene," she whispered to him once they had been let in.

            He glanced over at her and saw her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.  "No problem," he replied with a slightly embarrassed shrug.  By this time they had reached the registrar.  "May I help you?" the suited man behind the stand inquired politely.

            "Yes.  A table for two, please," Elara told him.

            "Under whose name?"

            "Alcyone."

            The man's eyes widened.  "Miss Alcyone?"

            Elara nodded.

            "Why, it is an unexpected pleasure to serve you here.  Right this way, if you please," he said as he led them over to a spacious booth that, fortunately, was in an area where there were others around, but not so many that it would make speaking harder.  Once they were seated, the man handed them each a menu and said, "Your server will be with you shortly."

            Both nodded once in reply, then turned to their menus.  Once the man was out of sight, however, Gene set his menu down on the table.  "What's going on, Elara?"

            Elara set her own menu down much more slowly and hesitated before answering.  "A lot."

            "Why is your office bugged?"

            She glanced away from him.  "I made a few mistakes, so Stinson got some information that I wish he didn't have and is using it against me."

            "You mean how he's claiming that you're not mentally capable of carrying out the duties of your position?"

            Elara looked at him in shock.  "How do you know that?"

            "I happened to be making my appointment with you when I saw a man barge into your office.  I asked your secretary who that was, and she told me that he was the vice president and is trying to persuade the Board that you imagined some traumatic event and that you should be relieved of the presidency."

            Her face had gone pale.  "It's that obvious, then."

            "What do you mean?"

            "One of the times that Stinson 'told' me off he deliberately left the door to my office open.  All of the staff in the immediate area could hear what he said, and word must have spread as well."  She shook her head sadly as a lone tear slipped down her cheek.  "And I have no way to refute him.  So now I live in almost perpetual fear that something I do will be able to be used against me and get me out of the presidency.  I don't have anyone I can trust…not anymore…"

            In an unexpected gesture Gene reached across the table and took the young woman's hand.  "I'm sorry," he said simply.

            Elara blinked rapidly as she tried to keep the tears at bay.  "Thank you," she replied, her voice thick.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone approaching, and took her hand away.

            Gene saw their waiter coming as well, and decided it would be a good time to change the subject.  "I got that message from you."

            She glanced over at him.  "You did?"

            He nodded.  "Yes.  And Jim doesn't know about it…yet."

            "Thank you."

            "No—thank _you, Elara.  You're the one who got us out of that horrible debt problem.  Almost as soon as I read that message, I got a call from Fred thanking me for finally starting to pay off the loan."_

            The waiter then arrived.  "What would you like to drink, ma'am?" he asked.

            "A bottle of your finest sparkling cider, please."

            "And you, sir?"

            "I'll stick with the same, thank you."

            "I will return shortly."  The waiter turned smartly and headed over to the kitchens.

            "As I was about to ask you, Gene, I was wondering how you were able to head of Fred's questions about how you got the money," she queried with a slight smile.

            "I told him it was a 'trade secret,'" he told her with a wink and a grin.

            One of her eyebrows shot up.  "A trade secret, eh?  And since when does Starwind and Hawking Enterprises have trade secrets?"

            "Since I said so."

            "And Fred bought it?"

            "I guess," he answered with a shrug.  "He seemed sorta quizzical, but took the bait."

            Elara shuddered faintly.  "That guy is so weird."

            Gene grimaced.  "Tell me about it.  At least you've never been the recipient of one of his hugs.  Or… other gestures."

            She made a face in reply.  "How awful."

            "Yeah."  He chuckled.  "You should have seen the look on Jim's face when…" Gene trailed off when he saw the expression on Elara's face at the mention of his partner's name.  "Why did you leave?" he said abruptly, his tone gentle.

            "It's a long story," she responded evasively.

            "Elara, I know you have a reason."

            Elara opened her mouth to reply when she spotted the waiter returning with their drinks.  "We'd better figure out what we're going to eat, you know."

            "True.  I'm definitely hungry now," Gene said, trying to get Elara's mind off Jim.

            She rolled her eyes.  "You're always hungry."

            "Hey, not always!"

            "Well, most of the time," she allowed.  "Anyway, when you _are hungry, you sure do eat a lot.  Don't worry—I'm paying for this," she told him when she saw the look on his face.  "How's your business doing, anyway?"_

            "It could be better," he replied as the waiter walked up.  "The new influx of funds should help, at least as soon as my partner is made aware of them," he said, deliberately becoming more businesslike in order to keep their charade up.

            "Oh?  Does he keep track of the money side as well?" Elara inquired, acting out her part.

            "Yes.  Since I tend to be the one to go on the most business trips, I do not have as much time as he does to look over our capital.  Besides, he is a bit better with numbers and economics than I am."

            "How convenient."

            "Actually, we engineered it that way."

            She chuckled appropriately.  The waiter chose that point to clear his throat.  Both Elara and Gene turned to look at him as if just having been made aware of his presence.  "Are either of you ready to order?"

            "Yes," Elara told him.  "I'll have a nirée salad with Riia dressing on the side please, and a side order of fruit salad."

            "Very good, ma'am.  And you, sir?"

            "I believe I will go with the Diron ribs and broccoli platter, with a side order of white rice."

            "Will that be all?"

            Both nodded in response.

            "Very good then."  He took their menus and left.

            "You seem to have quite the affinity for white rice, my friend," Elara noted with a smile.

            He shrugged.  "It was my family's staple dish when I was a kid, so I guess it just reminds me of my old home.  Besides, I just plain like the stuff."

            "You seem to have lost your businesslike speech."

            "Yup."  He paused for a moment to pour each of them a glass of the sparkling cider.  "Why did you leave?"

            She sighed heavily.  "I'm not really sure if I can put it into words…you know, so that it's actually understandable…but, it started with the whole Guardian thing."

            Gene frowned.  "I still don't really understand all that."

            "A Guardian is someone who has special powers, but those powers only can be used at certain times, most often when someone the Guardian…cares about…is in danger.  That's why I left."

            "Because you're a Guardian?"

            Elara shook her head.  "No…because of why my powers appeared."

            "Oh, so…if they appear because someone you like is in danger, you like Jim, don't you?"

            She hung her head dejectedly and replied in a barely audible voice, "Yes."

            He frowned again.  "Then…why was that what made you leave like that?"

            "I felt…weird…when I thought about sticking around…you know, because he realized that I like him."

            "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked with a quizzical look.

            Elara glanced across the table at him, one eyebrow raised.  "Would you want to stick around a place where you liked someone and that person did not like you back?"

            Gene stared at her for a moment, then burst out into helpless laughter.

            "What's so funny?" she asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

            "Elara…oh, man…you think…damn…you think he doesn't like you back?"

            "Uh…yeah…" she trailed off, her earlier expression replaced by one of confusion.

            "Elara," he said, having regained his composure, "Jim went nuts when he read your note.  I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but apparently you think he doesn't like you and he thinks you don't like him."

            Elara stared at him with an air of stunned disbelief.  "He…likes me?" she said in a tiny voice.

            "Yup."

            A small tear slipped down her cheek.

            Gene sighed and shook is head.  "I'm cursed—I always make girls cry."

            Elara chuckled.  "Seriously?"

            "Yeah."  One eyebrow shot up.  "Wait…you're not sad?"

            "Gene, you silly goose, I'm crying because I'm happy."

            "Oh."  He chuckled embarrassedly.

            She grinned at him.  "You're a funny guy, Gene.  You can be so irresponsible and almost thoughtless at times, and yet you can be the sweetest guy I've ever met."

            Gene was not sure whether that was an insult or a compliment.  "Thanks…I think."

            Elara laughed.  "It's a compliment, silly."

            "Oh, okay."

            Out of the corner of her eye the young woman spotted their waiter returning with their meals.  She switched the topic to the latest news in the area until the waiter left.

            "So, Elara," Gene said before diving into his bowl of rice, "what are you going to do about Stinson?"

            "I don't know," she sighed.  "What can I do?"

            "Well, I was thinking that you could have a hearing on it, you know, defend yourself," he suggested around a mouthful of rice.

            "A hearing?  What good would that do?"

            "It would get the evidence for and against his argument out into the open, for one thing.  Also, it would give you a chance to have witnesses testify in your behalf."

            "Like you guys?"

            "Yeah."

            "You know, Gene, that's not a bad idea."

            "Well, I rather thought so myself."

            She shook her head yet could not refrain from grinning.  "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

            "Why, thank you…I guess…"

            Elara laughed.  "So, Gene, would you help me do this whole hearing thing?"

            "Of course.  And I'm sure Mel and Jim will want to help, too."

            "…I should talk to him, shouldn't I."

            "Yes, you should."

            The young woman sighed.  "I've made such a mess of things.  How the hell am I supposed to reconcile with him after what I've done?"

            Gene shrugged.  "Just talk to him.  It can't be too hard.  I mean, you guys had your heads together over half the time while you were staying at our place."

            She glowered.  "It's not that easy!"

            "I know," he said, his eyes twinkling.

            "Why you…"  She smiled impudently before kicking his shin underneath the table.

            "Ow!"

            "You're incorrigible."

            He grinned.  "That's why you like me, right?"

            Elara rolled her eyes.  "Whatever."

            "But, seriously, Elara, just talk to him.  I know he'll appreciate it."

            "All right…I will.  Right after lunch.  Though it'll have to be quick.  I have an appointment at two-thirty."


End file.
